Our Lady of the Harbor
Clermont-Ferrand, France (1614)
In 1614, show and bitter cold enveloped the area of Clermont-Ferrand without stopping from November to Easter. By May, with no grass around, famine loomed. The leaders and priests conferred and decided to bring out the small wooden statue of Our Lady of the Port in a procession on Ascension Day, May 15, 1614. Some 8.000 followed the image in prayer.
The next day, the weather grew milder and the harvests were abundant. The new bishop ordered an inquiry on May 6, 1616, after which he issued an ordinance declaring that the feast of Notre-Dame du Port would be celebrated on May 15. The statue was crowned in 1875, and on May 15, 1881, Pope Leo Xll declared the church a Minor Basilica.
Text and image used with permission.
Source: "365 Days with Mary" by Michael O'Neill
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