Continuing a devotion which dates back to the Middle Ages, the Sister Adorers venerate a wax figure of Mary as a little child at their convent in Wausau, Wisconsin. Finding its origins in Milan, Italy, the devotion to the “Maria Bambina” is widespread and has been practiced by many saints. The Sisters’ convent is named in honor of Maria Bambina and on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, they honor her in a special way by bringing the statue to St. Mary’s Oratory for the veneration of the faithful.

 

“Come close to her sacred cradle, consider what she is doing, and you will find that she practices all virtues in a most eminent way: ask the angels, cherubim, and seraphim who surround her if they can match this little child, and they will answer that she infinitely surpasses them in virtues, graces, and merits.” -- St. Francis de Sales, sermon for the Nativity of Our Lady.