The Divine Infant
HOW DID THE DEVOTION TO THE INFANT JESUS BEGIN?
The devotion to the Divine Infant Jesus in Colombia began with Father Juan del Rizzo.
In the year 1914, the Silesian priests were building a great church in the city of Barranquilla, in a very low income neighborhood called San Roque. Father Superior sent Father Juan to ask people for money throughout the city to help build the church, but he felt so ashamed having to do this that he returned without having collected any money.
Next day, Father Superior asked Father Juan to go back and ask for money again. Then father Juan, full of anguish, went to kneel in front of the image of Virgin Mary holding the Infant Jesus in her arms, and as he looked up he saw the Infant Jesus smiling at him with open arms, as if he was saying: “take me with you, I want to be with you in your journey”.
Father Juan started thinking: “I have always asked favors to the mother, Blessed Mary, who is very powerful and has helped me a great deal, never the less, she is a human being. Why can’t I try and ask the Son, who is God himself.
He asked the Infant Jesus with all his heart to give him the courage to go out and ask for money for the church. He suddenly felt a wave of courage go through his whole being. This feeling made him go out to the streets and he collected a large sum of money to help build the church. From that moment on he had so much courage to ask for help for God’s works that the Infant Jesus became his greatest love in this earth.
Father Juan del Rizzo was sent to Bogota where he placed the image of the Divine Infant Jesus on an empty lot in a neighborhood called July 20th. He made copies of this image and sent them all over the country and abroad. Each Sunday at Mass, he would preach the miracles that the Divine Infant Jesus was making everywhere and the devotion began to spread quickly. Many people from various parts of the city would come on Sundays to pray to the Infant Jesus. Many emotional events were occurring such as addicts recovering from their addictions, poor families being able to receive funds for their children’s tuitions, unemployed people finding jobs etc.
These people who obtained favors from the Infant Jesus would tell their stories and helped to spread the devotion
Now it’s our turn to help spread this devotion to the Divine Infant Jesus here in White Plains and with His help, throughout the entire country!
You can begin by trusting in Him and asking him with profound faith for a favor that you might need and you will see that He does listen. Trust in Him!
Meeting Schedule:
The Divine Infant devotional group will meet every first Sunday of the month at 1:30 p.m. in the Guadalupe Room
Please join us for an hour of blessings.
TESTIMONIO DE OLGA CHANTRE
La mañana del 8 de noviembre del 2010, Salí para ir a la misa y al pasar la calle fui atropellada por un carro. Quede sin conocimiento y me llevaron de emergencia al hospital. El golpe fue tan fuerte que estuve en coma por un día entero. Recibí muchas fracturas en todo el cuerpo y un ojo me quedo totalmente cerrado por varios meses. Estuve en el hospital en cuidados intensivos por dos semanas, después me enviaron a un “lugar de convalecencia” donde me daban terapias diarias. Estuve allí por dos meses y medio. Los doctores me dijeron que no volvería a caminar y que el ojo afectado no lo volvería a abrir.
Yo siempre he sido muy devota del Divino Niño y desde que tuve conocimiento en el hospital comencé a pedirle con toda mi fe por mi total recuperación pero pidiéndole también que se hiciera su voluntad y no la mía. Mis plegarias fueron escuchadas y dos años después estoy caminando a todas partes, leyendo mejor que antes con mis dos ojos bien abiertos y normales. Mis huesos se sanaron y todos los que me vieron en el hospital recién tuve el accidente no pueden creer que me haya salvado y mucho menos que mi recuperación haya sido total.
Yo soy prueba y testimonio vivo de que todo se puede con Cristo y que mis oraciones y las de mis hermanos de la iglesia fueron escuchadas por el Divino Nino Jesús. Gloria a Dios!
TESTIMONY BY OLGA CHANTRE
On the morning of November 8th, 2010, I was walking to church and as I crossed the street, I was hit by a car. I was unconscious and taken to the emergency room. The accident was so severe that I was in a comma for an entire day. I had many broken bones and one of my eyes was completely shut for many months. I was in intensive care for two weeks and then I was transferred to a nursing home, where I received therapy for two months and a half. The doctors told me that I was not going to be able to walk again and that my eye was going to remain shut for ever.
I have always been a devout believer of the Divine Child and from the first moment I regained consciousness, I began to ask Him with great faith for my total recovery but I also asked that He did his will and not mine. My prayers were answered and two years later, I am walking everywhere, reading better than before with my two eyes wide open and normal. My bones were healed and everyone who saw me at the hospital at the time of my accident cannot believe that I survived it and that I am completely recovered.
I am a living proof and testimony that everything is possible with Christ and that my prayers and those of my brothers in Christ answered by the Divine Child. Glory to God!
Testimonios (Testimonies)
Testimonio de María Alfonso de White Plains, New York.
En septiembre del 2011 fui a mi chequeo anual del Papanicolaou. La doctora me examino como de costumbre y ya casi al terminar me pregunto si tenía algún síntoma anormal. Le iba a decir que no porque no pensé que era importante, pero decidí mencionarle que tenia que ir frecuentemente al baño, mas de lo acostumbrado. Parecía preocupada y enseguida me mando a hacer un sonograma de mi parte abdominal y unos exámenes de sangre y me dijo que si encontraba algo anormal me avisaba. Cuando los resultados estaban listos la doctora me llamo para que fuera a su oficina. Me dijo que todos los exámenes indicaban que tenía los ovarios inflamados diez veces más de lo normal y con una alta probabilidad de tener cáncer. Me envió a un oncólogo, especialista en cirugía de cáncer a los ovarios y al útero. El me examino y determino que no podía esperar más y que tenia que hacer una cirugía para remover mi útero y mis ovarios, ver que tan avanzado estaba el cáncer y comenzar la quimioterapia. Él me dijo que las probabilidades de cáncer eran casi seguras. La cirugía fue programada para la siguiente semana. Para mi era como una pesadilla, de un simple chequeo me estaban diciendo que mi vida corría peligro. Inexplicablemente, en ningún momento sentí miedo ni reaccione como lo haría cualquier otra persona. Era como si no fuera yo la que esta recibiendo esta noticia. No me alarme, ni sentí pánico. Al contrario llevaba una paz en mí y una certeza de que todo estaba bien. A veces llegue a pensar que tal vez no quería aceptarlo, pero no era así, era mi fe en Dios lo que me aseguraba que todo estaba bien. Sin embargo, cuando estaba en el grupo del Divino Nino Jesús, que recién habíamos formado en la Iglesia de San Bernardo en White Plains, y en mi casa, le pedí al Divino Nino que se hiciera su santa voluntad. No le pedí por mi sanación sino que me ayudara a aceptar su voluntad cualquiera que fuera. Entre mas le oraba, mas paz sentía en mi corazón y nunca tuve miedo, ni siquiera el día de mi cirugía. Cuando abrí los ojos después de la cirugía, el cirujano me dijo que me felicitaba porque no había encontrado ningún tipo de cáncer. Era una masa que se había formado alrededor de mi útero y mis ovarios y producían los mismos resultados que cuando uno tiene cáncer. Yo creo que él estaba más sorprendido que yo según la cara que tenia. Enseguida di gloria a Dios y le di mil gracias al Divino Nino Jesús por el milagro que acababa de hacer en mí. Solo estuve un día en el hospital y desde el día que salí hasta hoy (10 meses después) no he tenido que tomar ni un tylenol. Mi curación fue total porque para Dios no hay nada imposible. Solo hay que tener fe y pedirle con todo el corazón y él te lo concederá.
“Todo lo que quieras pedir pídelo, pero pide con fe y nada te será negado.” (Parte de la oración al Divino Nino Jesús)
(English Version)
On September 2011, I went to have my anual popsmear check up. The doctor examined me as usual and as she was about to finish, she asked me if I had any unusual simptoms. I was going to say no because I didn’t think that symptom was out of the ordinary, but I decided to tell her that I was having to go to the bathroom more than usual. She seemed worried and asked me to have a sonogram and some blood work done right away. She told me that she would call me if anything showed up in the results. When the results came back, she called me and asked me to go see her immediately. She told me that my ovaries were ten times bigger than normal and the blood work indicated that I had a high chance of having cancer. She referred me to an oncologist who told me, after performing more exams, that I had to have surgery right away to know if there was cancer and then determine how much chemo I would need it to treat it. He told me the chances of having cancer were pretty high. The surgery was scheduled for the following week. I was still in shock, this was like a nightmare. I went from a routine checkup to being told that my life was at risk. Strangely enough, I wasn’t afraid and I didn’t react like any one in my situation would have. It was almost as if the news were not about me. I didn’t panic or became alarmed. On the contrary, I was actually calm and peaceful with a certainty that everything was fine. At one point, I thought that I was on denial, but it wasn’t that. It was my faith in God that gave me the certainty that everything was fine.
However, when I went to the Devotional Group of the Divine Infant Jesus that we had just formed at Saint Bernard’s Church in White Plains, I asked the Divine Infant to let it be His will, not mine. I did not ask Him for healing but to give me the strength to accept and go through whatever he chose for me. The more I prayed, the more peace I felt. I wasn’t afraid at all, not even the day of my surgery. When I opened my eyes after surgery, the surgeon was right there congratulating me because he did not find any cancer. He said that what he found was a tissue that was surrounding my ovaries and my uterus that gave the same results as when you have cancer. He looked more surprised than me, by the look on his face. I praised and thanked God and the Divine Infant for the miracle He had just performed in me.
I was in the hospital overnight and then released. I have not had to take any pills at all since my release 10 months ago, and I am fully recovered. Nothing is impossible for God. All you have to do is believe and have faith from the bottom of your heart. Ask with faith and he shall give!
Testimonio de María Gamboa de White Plains, New York
En junio 28 del 2011, me descubrieron tumor canceroso en el estomago y me recomendaron ir a un oncólogo. Él me dijo que ten no me podía hacer quimioterapia porque el tumor estaba ubicado cerca de órganos importantes y podría ser peligroso. La única forma de removerlo era con una cirugía de alto riesgo que demoraría muchas horas. Consulte con otros médicos pero todos me decían lo mismo “que no podían hacer la cirugía porque era muy peligrosa”
Me quede sin saber que hacer. Me uní al Grupo del Divino Nino Jesús de la Iglesia de San Bernardo, en White Plains. Todos ellos oraron por mí, me ofrecieron la imagen para que me la llevara a mi casa e hiciera la novena junto con mi familia. Le pedí al Divino Nino con mucha fe para que me diera una señal de esperanza y sanación porque yo no quería morir todavía. Dos días después, dos personas muy queridas, vinieron a tocar la puerta de mi casa y me trajeron la información de un oncólogo muy famoso. Fui a verlo y me hizo los mismos exámenes que ya me habían hecho anteriormente los otros doctores. Días después me dijo que tenía que darme una noticia: Según el resultado de la biopsia ya no había cáncer! Yo me quede sorprendida y me puse a llorar de felicidad y a darle gracias al Divino Nino porque yo le pedí sanación y el me la concedió! Gracias Divino Nino por sanarme y darme la oportunidad de seguir viva para contar este testimonio.
(English Version)
In June 28, 2011, I was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in my stomach and I was referred to an oncologist. He told me that I could not do chemotherapy because the tumor was near important organs and could cause serious damage. The only way to remove the tumor was through a high risk and long surgery. I consulted with other doctors but they agreed with my first doctor and they insisted that the surgery was very risky.
I didn’t know what to do. I decided to join the Divine Infant Jesus Devotional Group at St. Bernard’s Church in White Plains. Everyone there prayed for me and they gave me a small statue of the Infant Jesus to take home and pray the novena with my family. I asked Him with great faith to give me a sign of hope and to heal me because I wasn’t ready to go yet. Two days later, two people very dear to me, came to my door and gave me a card with the name and phone number of a well-recognized doctor. I went to see him and he performed the same tests that the other doctors had already done. Days later, he told me that he had news for me. He said that according to all the tests and the result of the biopsy there was no cancer! I was in shock and I began to cry of joy and began to thank the Divine Infant because I had asked him to heal me and he did! Thank You Divine Infant for healing me and for giving me the opportunity to live and to tell my testimony.
Testimonio de Monica Guzman, de White Plains, New York
Cuando recuerdo el día 4 de febrero de 1998, mi Corazón se llena de emoción. Ese día desperté de madrugada con contracciones, las cuales se hacían más y más fuertes. Ya para las 7 de la mañana sabia que mi bebe nacería ese día. A los 10 minutos de llegar al hospital, mi preciosa hija nació. Había sido un embarazo normal y ningún examen detecto que hubiera algo anormal, pero cuando las enfermeras estaban limpiando a la niña, mi esposo se percato de que algo no estaba bien. Al moverse la niña, su pierna izquierda se doblaba hacia delante y quedaba reposando sobre su pecho de una forma impresionante. De inmediato llamaron al especialista de los recién nacidos. Después de examinarla, nos dijo que posiblemente la niña iba a necesitar muchas operaciones para corregirle su pierna y que lo mas seguro era que nunca iba a poder caminar bien. Sin embargo era necesario tomarle radiografías y que la examinara un especialista ortopédico. Como es de imaginar, esa noticia nos dejo con un gran dolor, pero en medio de las lágrimas y pensamientos de lo difícil que podía ser su futuro, yo sentía una gran calma en mi corazón. Diosito me decía que todo iba a estar bien, que confiara en El.
Cuando la niña fue examinada por el ortopédico, el diagnostico fue mas alentador. Nos informo que al parecer los músculos de su cadera no se habían desarrollado completamente y que no creía que fuera necesario operarla. El tratamiento fue un conjunto de cinturones que mantenían sus piernitas dobladas, el cual debía permanecer puesto por tres meses. Al cabo de este tiempo se determinaría su progreso y la necesidad de alguna cirugía, pero no sabríamos el daño permanente hasta que la niña comenzara a caminar.
A los pocos días de salir del hospital, llevamos a la niña a una parroquia en Queens donde veneran al Divino Nino Jesús. Allí fue bendecida por el sacerdote y su tratamiento fue encomendado al Divino Nino Jesús.
Después de solo tres semanas (no meses como nos había dicho inicialmente el doctor) su piernita se doblaba normalmente y el doctor decidió quitarle el aparato. Estaba verdaderamente sorprendido de su progreso. La niña continúo desarrollándose normalmente. Nunca necesito de cirugías y hoy en día es una alta y preciosa joven de 14 anos y camina normalmente.
No existen palabras que puedan expresar mi gratitud al Divino Nino Jesús!
(English Version)
When I remember the day of February 4, 1998, my heart fills with great emotion. That day, I woke up early in the morning with contractions that got stronger and stronger. Around 7 a.m. I knew that my baby would be born that day. Ten minutes after arriving to the hospital, my precious daughter was born. I had a normal pregnancy and none of the exams revealed that there was any abnormality, but when the nurses were cleaning my little girl my husband noticed that something was not right. When my daughter moved, her left leg was bending forward and would lay on top of her chest in a very shocking way. Immediately they called the specialist. After examining her he told us that she would possibly require many surgeries to correct the problem and that it was almost certain that she would not be able to walk normally. Never the less, he was going to take x-rays and I had to take her to an orthopedist. As you can imagine, this news left us with great pain, but between our tears and our thoughts of how her future would be like, I felt a great peace in my heart. God was telling me that everything was going to be fine, to trust in Him.
When my daughter was examined by the orthopedist, his diagnosis was a bit more promising. He told us that it seemed like her hip muscles had not developed fully and that he did not believe there was any need for surgery. The treatment consisted of wearing belts that kept her legs bent, and had to be worn for three months. At the end of this time her progress would be measured and the need for surgery would be determined, but we would not know if there would be any permanent damage until she began to walk.
A few days after she left the hospital, we took her to a church in Queens, NY where the Divine Infant Jesus is worshiped. She was blessed by the priest of that church and we put her treatment in the hands of the Divine Infant Jesus.
After only three weeks (not months as the doctor had told us initially) her leg was bending normally and the doctor decided to take off the belts. He was truly surprised of her progress. She continued to develop normally; she never required any type of surgery and today she is a beautiful, tall 14 year old young lady. Thanks to the Divine Infant Jesus she walks normally.
There are no words to express my gratitude to the Divine Infant Jesus!