Our Lady of the Poor of Onomichi - The Virgin of Bannux on the path of the martyrs

← Back to Japan's Marian Advocations

At the entrance of the Catholic Church of Onomichi, an image from Belgium presents Mary as Our Lady of the Poor. His presence unites the spirituality of Bannux with a deeply Japanese itinerary: the path that recalls the forced transfer of the twenty-six Martyrs to Nagasaki.

The Virgin of the Poor

The title was born in Bannux, Belgium, from the meetings Mariette Beco claimed had lived in 1933. Mary presented herself as the Virgin of the Poor and led the girl to a source "for all nations," directing a message of prayer, trust and closeness to those who suffer.

The bishop of Liège authorized the veneration under this title in 1942 and recognized the supernatural character of the apparitions in 1949. Since then, images of Bannux have reached many countries as a sign of an open motherhood to the sick, poor and forgotten.

Una imagen belga en Onomichi

The diocese of Hiroshima confirms that the image before the church reproduces the Virgin in Bannux and was sent from Belgium. Parish documentation adds that the statue arrived in Japan and was later entrusted to the community of Onomichi.

The community found in it a center for its Marian celebration. It is not a question of physically moving the Belgian sanctuary, but of receiving its spiritual call within a Japanese parish.

El Camino a Nagasaki

Onomichi appears as the 38 station on the itinerary called "Road to Nagasaki." The route recalls the journey of the twenty-six Christians from the Kyoto and Osaka region to Nishizaka hill, where they were crucified on 5 February 1597.

The itinerary has been promoted with the participation of the dioceses and the Nagasaki Pilgrimage Centre. In Onomichi, the image of the Virgin of the Poor receives the pilgrim at the door, linking Marian compassion to the witness of the martyrs.

Mary with the poor and persecuted

The location of the image expresses a simple catechesis. Mary is outside, at the entrance, as Mother who comes to meet. The invocation recalls that poverty is not limited to the lack of goods: there is also poverty of company, health, freedom and hope.

The pilgrim can entrust there those who suffer exclusion and ask for the grace of recognizing Christ in them. The memory of martyrs prevents devotion from becoming sentimental: it invites a concrete fidelity, capable of service and sacrifice.

Verified location

The diocese publishes the direction 1-12-1 Kuriharahigashi. Japanese cartography MapFan places the church individually in 34.4089705, 133.1902565 (WGS-84). The marker identifies the building and its access, a place officially described for the image, and not the generic center of Onomichi.

Prayer to Our Lady of the Poor of Onomichi

Our Lady of the Poor, Mother of the Savior and Mother of God, welcomes in Onomichi those who walk weary. It opens our eyes to all poverty, strengthens the persecuted and teaches us the fidelity of the martyrs. May no one be left without comfort, bread, freedom or hope, and may our hands serve your Son present in the little ones with humility. Amen.

Sources consulted

• Diocese of Hiroshima: image identification, Belgian provenance and pilgrim season.
• diocesan Catholic Bulletin: Receiving the Image and Origin of the Local Marian Celebration.
• Nagasaki Pilgrimage Center: itinerary of the Twenty-Six Martyrs.
• Japanese Episcopal Conference: publication of the pilgrimage map of the Way to Nagasaki.
• MapFan: direction and coordinates WGS-84 of the church.
• Sanctuary of Bannux: title and spirituality of Our Lady of the Poor.

Pray the Holy Rosary · See more calls from Japan