Lillian Mondello patiently waited for the hymn to end before she ascended a step stool and gently placed a bejeweled crown fit for a king atop a statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague.

The 7-year-old became the newest in a long line of young ladies who have crowned the Infant of Prague statue at St. John Nepomuk Chapel. The Mass and crowning Sept. 9 carried on a 75-year tradition at the Czech-founded church in Soulard, giving honor to the Christ Child and his worldwide kingship.

Lillian’s mother, Michelle, who crowned the statue in 1992, said the annual event has been an important way to spread devotion to the Infant Jesus of Prague and to talk to her children about Him.

Michelle became aware of the devotion through her grandmother, who was a longtime housekeeper for the church rectory. “We have a statue that we got from her,” Michelle said. “She would find them and give them to us. When she would clean the church, she would tell us how (the statues) were watching us. She loved it and would take holy water and bless us all the time. She was a riot.”

The original families of St. John Nepomuk, the first Czech church to be founded in America in 1854, brought the devotion to the Infant Jesus of Prague with them when they came to the U.S. A tornado in 1896 reduced most of the church to rubble, including its statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague.

Then-pastor Msgr. Joseph Hessoun wrote to the Carmelite monastery in Prague, where the devotion originated, requesting another statue. It was installed in the newly rebuilt brick church in 1898. In honor of St. John Nepomuk’s 100th anniversary in 1948, pastor Father Albert Prokes asked parishioners and friends to donate gold and precious stones to make a crown. A custom jeweler melted the gold into one piece and made the crown, which was designed by Father Prokes.

The crown is divided into seven segments, each set with stones that represent the sacraments: pearls for baptism, representing the pearl of great price and sanctifying graces that are received; a ruby for the fire of the Holy Spirit of confirmation; white opal to represent the various colors of the graces of holy Communion; amethyst for the purple of penance; black opal to represent the sacrament of anointing; golden sapphire for the gold of holy orders; and three diamonds to represent the holy trinity of matrimony: father, mother and child. The crown also features a cross at the top, with a blue zircon to represent Mary at the cross. It is set on a small globe, containing a diamond, emerald and ruby to represent faith, hope and charity.

Above all, the statue of the infant Jesus is a reminder of the mystery of God’s incarnation. He came into this world as an infant to dwell among us and to reveal His plan for salvation. While praying in front of the statue, Father Cyrillus of the Carmelite monastery in Prague heard a voice speak to him: “The more you honor me, the more I will bless you.” The words he heard have since become a centerpiece of the devotion the infant Jesus.

“He was filled with wonder as he prayed to God, who became a child because of His love for us,” said Virginia Brush, who attends St. John Nepomuk with her mother, Pat, and crowned the statue in 1975.

The devotion has spread throughout the world, and so have the blessings that have been received by those who pray for the infant Jesus’ intercession, Virginia said. “Health has been restored, financial problems solved, gifts of peace of mind and soul, and many healings, both physical and spiritual. God has been astonishingly generous to those who are devoted to His infant Son.”

Pat Brush said she believes God’s blessings always come back more than expected. “Even when we were having hard times, and we’d make a donation or something, my husband would get this extra job, enough to really replace that donation,” she said.

“I encourage people to have a devotion to the Infant of Prague and see what happens in your life,” Virginia said. “You will be pleasantly surprised.”

>> History of the the Infant Jesus of Prague statue

Tradition holds that the original statue was once possessed by St. Teresa of Ávila and was brought to what was then known as Bohemia by a Spanish noblewoman upon her marriage to a Czech nobleman named Vratislav of Pernstyn. Their daughter, Princess Polyxena von Lobkowicz, gifted the statue to the Discalced Carmelite friars and the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Prague in 1629.

The statue is about 19 inches tall and crafted of wax-coated wood. The left hand holds a miniature globe, surmounted by a cross, signifying the worldwide kingship of the Christ Child. The right hand is extended in blessing. The first two fingers are upraised to symbolize the two natures of Christ.

When she presented the statue to the Carmelites, Polyxena is to have said: “Venerable Fathers, I bring you my dearest posession. Honor this image and you shall never want.”

During the Thirty Years’ War, the Swedes occupied Prague, and the Carmelites fled. The monastery was ransacked, and the baby Jesus was thrown into a trash pile. It lay there for several years with the hands broken off. When the Carmelites returned in 1637, Carmelite Father Cyrillus found the statue and placed it in the church’s oratory.

One day while praying before the statue, Father Cyrillus heard a voice: “Have pity on me, and I will have pity on you. Give me my hands, and I will give you peace. The more you honor me, the more I will bless you.” The last sentence has since become the centerpiece of the devotion to the Infant Jesus of Prague.

To learn more about the Church of Our Lady Victorious and the Infant Jesus of Prague, visit www.pragjesu.cz/en.