It all began in Spain around the year 711, where
the Spanish Catholics found themselves being
suppressed by the Moors, who captured Granada
and proceeded northward until most of Spain
was under their control. The Spaniards turned
to their Lord for strength and hope in their
afflictions, as they were tortured and killed
for their Faith.
The story unfolds in a village near Madrid. The
town of Atocha was taken by the Moors. They
imprisoned the men of the village in jails and
dungeons that were deplorable and filthy. The
faith of these men and the rest of the village was
commendable but the Moors were determined
to break their hope in the Lord with one cruelty
after another. The Moors developed restrictions allowing only the family
members of the imprisoned to bring them food and water. For those who
had no family members nearby, this would have been a certain death
sentence. Before long, another restriction was issued that only children of
close family members of the prisoners, under the age of 12, were allowed to
bring the prisoners food and water. This new decree affected even more
prisoners, as many did not have any children.
The women of Atocha turned to the Blessed Mother, under the title of Our
Lady of Atocha. A statue dedicated to Mary under this title was located in their
chapel. In this statue, Mary is holding Her Infant Son. These women pleaded
with Our Lady to beg the mercy of Her Son for their imprisoned relatives.
Before long, the children visiting their family members in the prison noticed
a Boy, of about 12 years of age, visiting many of the imprisoned during the
night. He was dressed as a pilgrim and carried food and water to the men. He
somehow managed to pass by the sleeping Moor guards without being
detected. He refreshed the prisoners, both spiritually and physically, with His
Presence. They all knew that He was the Child Jesus. When the women
heard the stories from the children about the Santo Niño, they rushed to
the chapel to thank Our Lady for sending Her Son. Upon entering the
chapel, they noticed that the shoes of the Infant in the statue of Our Lady
of Atocha were dusty and worn out. The women in the village replaced His
shoes but, time and time again, found them dusty and worn out.
People traveling in those days found themselves in great danger. Often,
when visiting relatives far away, they were assaulted and killed on the
roads. Many of the travelers were Catholic and innkeepers had been afraid
to provide them with lodging for fear of the Moors’ occupation. As a result,
many travelers had to sleep in the open forests or near the main roads,
thus making them even more vulnerable to attacks.
Before long, accounts of a Boy of 12 years of age, dressed as a Pilgrim and
bringing them food and drink, started to emerge. He would especially appear
to them when they found themselves in dangerous situations, often pointing