IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY

Day 303: March 11

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Taggia, Imperia, Italy

On March 11, 1855, during the solemn celebrations in Taggia for the definition of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, all the people saw the holy image come to life, move its pupils looking at the surroundings. This miracle occurred at intervals for over three months, and the dear Image was called the Miraculous Lady.

In 1851 the sculptor Salvatore Revelli from Tabia donated the plaster statue of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart or the Immaculate Heart of Mary to his hometown.

The Miracle began on March 11, 1855 at the conclusion of the octave of prayer, desired by the Bishop of Ventimiglia, Monsignor Lorenzo Biale, to solemnize throughout the Diocese the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary (December 8, 1854).

There is great resonance in the Church for this event that recognizes what for centuries in the reflection of theologians, in the writings of the saints and in the sensus fidelium was an acquired heritage.

That "full of grace", repeated for centuries on the lips of the faithful, now acquires all its theological depth and meaning: Mary is from the moment of her conception totally embraced by the love of God, a total and perfect love that from her conception pours out upon her the merits and grace of the Saviour, in view of her special bond with Him: in that particular relationship – which is already rich in mystery and solidarity among men and women that leaves us amazed – Mary will be the Mother of the Son of God, of whom she herself is the daughter (according to Dante's well-known expression).

In that atmosphere of prayer and tender devotion to the Immaculate Virgin, Our Lady granted a sign of her pleasure: in Taggia, in the following days, particularly on March 12, 17 and 18, men and women of all ages and conditions, children, and priests witnessed the extraordinary movement of the eyes of the statue of the Virgin.

This is the first documented miracle performed by the Miraculous Madonna of Taggia on March 11, 1855. The statue depicts the Virgin with her heart in her hands and is the work of the sculptor Salvatore Revelli, born in Taggia on September 1, 1816. In 1850 the important artist had begun working on a statue of St Philomena which was later transformed into an image of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the course of work, given the deep devotion that the author himself had. The work, a sculptural sketch in polychrome plaster, 93 cm high, was the model for a marble statue that should have been made later, but this did not happen. The artist from Tabia wanted to make a gift of it to his hometown in 1851 and four years later, at the end of the octave of prayers, wanted by the Bishop of Ventimiglia Mons Lorenzo Battista Biale to solemnize throughout the Diocese the definition of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary (December 8, 1854), some faithful present in the church witnessed the miracle of the movement of the eyes.

The prodigious event was noticed again during the evening services, and continued in the following days, in particular on March 12, 14, 17, 18, 20 and 21; many were the witnesses who witnessed the movement of the eyes and the change in the complexion of the Virgin's face. The parish priest Don Stefano Semeria informed the Diocesan Bishop who, given the extent and repetition of the facts, decided with a decree of March 26, 1855 to start a regular canonical process on the fact, and appointed two promoters, three instructors, two tax officers and two secretaries. He moved to Taggia, where on 1 and 2 April 1855 he attended the examination of the statue together with about 400 people during which the movement of the eyes was repeated. On 4 April 1855 he proceeded to appoint the Office of Education, in order to collect the sworn depositions of the witnesses and any other useful evidence. On May 8, 1855, at the conclusion of a canonical process conducted with great prudence and rigor, and after listening to about 150 witnesses, men, women, children, priests and religious, the conviction was reached that the work done was sufficient to demonstrate the authenticity of the prodigy. On May 30, 1855, the procedural acts were transmitted to Pope Pius IX, who with a Rescript of June 21, 1855 granted: "the faculty to impose in Our name with Our authority a Golden Crown on that statue of the Most Holy Virgin Mary of the Sacred Heart" and granted "to each and every one the faithful of both sexes, who, having confessed and received communion, will visit the church ... the Plenary Indulgence and the remission of all sins... " A coronation that in fact took place only the following year, on June 1, 1856, accompanied by religious celebrations and great popular celebrations culminating with a fireworks display. During the celebrations related to the coronation, the statue of the Miraculous Madonna repeated the movement of the eyes.

Since then, the miracle of the Miraculous Madonna, documented and recognized as such, continued to be repeated over the years and in particular in 1941, with events that followed one another at irregular intervals from July to October, and more recently in 1956 and again in 1996. Numerous sworn depositions preserved in the Parish Archives document them.

Every year on March 11th, regardless of the day it falls, the anniversary of the miraculous event is solemnly celebrated. While the first Sunday of June is remembered the Feast of the Coronation of the Miraculous Statue.

St Justin Russolillo Writes...

"With the whole Church Militant, Suffering and Triumphant, we bow to you while contemplating the Blessed Trinity who dresses you with the sun and crowns you with stars, while the world becomes a footstool at your feet. Hail, O full of Glory, O Mary."

(Justin Russolillo, Spirit of Prayer, trans. Louis Caputo, Vocationist Fathers, Newark, 1996, p. 159)