ROMAN INC - OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE - COMPASSIONATE MOTHER OF GOD Compassionate Mother of God Figurine comes nicely displayed in a clear fronted box with the the Story of the saint on the outside and a prayer card inside. Front of the box reads: Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe O our Lady of Guadalupe, mystical rose, make intercession for the Holy Church, protect the Sovereign Pontiff, help all those who invoke thee in their necessities, and since thou art the ever Virgin Mary and Mother of the True God, obtain for us from thy most holy Son the grace of keeping our faith, sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness of life, burning charity and the precious gift of final perseverance. Amen. Back of the box reads: Juan Diego was on his way to Mass on December 9, 1531, when he heard someone sweetly calling his name from atop Tepeyac Hill, near the small Mexican village of Tlaltelolco. Once he climbed the hill he saw a beautiful Mexican girl who identified herself as the ever-Virgin Mary. She asked him to build a church on the hill to express the special love she had for the Mexican natives. She instructed Juan to first get permission from the bishop, who upon hearing Juan's story asked for a tangible sign that she was the Mother of God. The next day, Juan gathered roses in his over coat, or tilma, to bring to the bishop as a sign. Just as he untied the corners of his coat, the bishop knelt before him in tears. For there, on the front of Juan's coat, was her image, exactly as he has seen her. In only thirteen days, a small chapel was completed in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the tilma was carried forward in a festive procession; the seven years that followed eight million natives were baptized. Today an average of 1,500 people daily kneel before the tilma, which has sustained its perfect image for almost 500 years, at the new Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Height: approx 8.8cm. Material: Stone / Resin Mix