Our Lady Visits a 110-Year-Old Mother

By Rex Teodosio

Last April, I took the Fatima statue to the home of Emelie Weil who was born in 1899, which made her 17 years old at the time of the Our Lady’s apparition at Fatima. She is now 110 years old.

She wore a blue dress in honor of the Blessed Mother. I see this custom from time to time. Many attend the visit of Our Lady with so much deference and respect. They wear their best outfit as if to receive an honored guest in their home. Mrs. Weil was a prime example of this custom. From her combed hair to her blue shoes, she obviously spent time making herself dignified and beautiful, not just for a mundane reason, like prom night, but to be most presentable to a highly honored guest, the Queen of Heaven and Earth.

The people at the visit represented four generations of their family, with three of her great-grandsons in attendance. The Weil family has refused to commit her into a nursing home and I had the impression that God has blessed the family for doing that. The family enjoyed a certain unity, mutual respect and peace that is absent from many homes.

What impressed me the most was her love for the Blessed Mother. As expected, she was not able to hear my talk well but she was so excited to receive Our Lady. One family member mentioned that the last time they remember her being this excited was some 20 years ago, when she was around 90 years old! She crowned Our Lady and she looked into Our Lady’s eyes with childlike innocence and joy, and with God’s grace, she will one day gaze with glorious joy into the eyes of the same Queen in Heaven.

From Crusade Magazine: July / August 2010

Header Image: Participants of the visit including Emelie Weil and her grandsons (left to right) Chad Meinders, Heath Meinders and Devon Cook.