April 11
Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van de Altijddurende Bijstand, Hallaar, Heist-op-den-Berg,
Antwerp, Belgium
On
April 11, 1502, Holy Cross Parish in Hallaar canceled its annual procession
because of bad weather. But the next day, the priest and sexton found muddy
tracks leading in and out of the church, and Our Lady's white robes
splattered with mud. Word got out that Our Dear Lady made the procession by
herself, drawing pilgrims to the church, which has processed the statue near
this date ever since, except when the French closed the church. Now known as
the Parish of Our Dear Lady of Perpetual Help, in recent years the church
has held a three-day celebration on the first weekend in April, with the
procession on Sunday. It is unclear whether the title has any connection to
the widely revered Byzantine icon now in
Rome, or if it simply reflects the
long-standing trust of the faithful in their intrepid Lady. (Information
from GVG Bassisschool Hallaar, sas.basisschool-hallaar.be/index.php?page=183§ion=24
and other sources. Picture from Google cache of
www.trippermap.com/v2/trippermap_photos.kml?nsid=70519928@N00.)
Also commemorated this date:
 | Our Lady of the Mekong, Akreiy Ksatr, Lavear Em, Kandal, Cambodia. Statue found in river, 2008. |
| Notre-Dame-du-Voeu, Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France (Our Lady of the Vow). Community vow during cholera epidemic, 1832. |
| Mare de Déu del Miracle, Relleu, Alicante, Valencia, Spain. Floral offering and procession commemorate miraculous rainfall of 1710. |
| Virgen del Río, Huércal-Overa, Almería, Andalucia, Spain (Virgin of the River). Statue crowned, 1965. |