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In the 1930s, Mariette Beco, an adolescent girl living in Banneux, province of Liège (Belgium), reported eight visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary between January 15th and March 2nd 1933. She reported seeing a Lady in white who declared herself to be the 'Virgin of the Poor' and told her: believe in me and I will believe in you. In one of such visions, the Lady reportedly asked Mariette to drink from a small spring and later said that the spring was for healing. Over time the site drew pilgrims. Today, the small spring yields about 2,000 gallons of water a day with many reports of miraculous healings.
In the 1930s, Mariette Beco, an adolescent girl living in Banneux, province of Liège (Belgium), reported eight visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary between January 15th and March 2nd 1933. She reported seeing a Lady in white who declared herself to be the 'Virgin of the Poor' and told her: believe in me and I will believe in you. In one of such visions, the Lady reportedly asked Mariette to drink from a small spring and later said that the spring was for healing. Over time the site drew pilgrims. Today, the small spring yields about 2,000 gallons of water a day with many reports of miraculous healings.
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Image: From a local Postcard |
Her claims were subject to an official investigation from 1935 to 1937 by an episcopal commission. The evidence collected was submitted to Rome for further analysis. In May 1942 Bishop Kerkhofs of Liège (Belgium) gave a first recogniton of the autheticity of the facts.. Then, in 1947, approval for the apparitions came from the Holy See. It was declared definite in 1949.
After the apparitions, Beco decided to remain a private person, married and had a quiet family life. A small chapel stands where the Virgin of the Poor requested it to be built.
Banneux is about 10 miles from Liège.
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