Do You Know The Infant King?

The Infant King, also known as the Infant Jesus of Prague, or the Divine Child, is a pious devotion held by many faithful Catholics around the world for centuries. Do you know the story of the Divine Child?

 The exact origin of the original statue is unknown. The first Infant King statue was given as a wedding gift from a Spanish princess to her royal Austrian cousin in the 16th century. It was passed through the royal family as an heirloom and was eventually given to the Discalced Carmelite friars by Princess Polyxena of Lobkowicz in 1628. She is quoted to have said at the presentation: "Venerable Fathers, I bring you my dearest possession. Honor this image and you shall never want." It was taken and put in the monastery of Our Lady of Victory in Prague, where the Carmelites began devotions to it.

Miraculous Statue

 In 1631 during the 30 Years War, the Carmelite monastery that housed the Infant Jesus statue was sacked and the Divine Child was thrown into a pile of rubbish behind the altar. It stayed there, with its hands broken off, for nearly 7 years until in 1637 Father Cryillus found the statue. Father Cryillus returned it to the church's oratory. Not long after, while praying in front of the statue, it began to speak to Father Cryillus, saying: 

"Have mercy on me, and I will have mercy on you. Give me my hands, and I will give you peace. The more you honor me, the more I will bless you."

Fr. Cyrillus had the miraculous statue repaired and given new hands, and since then it has remained in Prague with many miracles being attributed through the Divine Infant to this day.

Devotion to the Infant King remains strong and continues to grow. The Institute of Christ The King Sovereign Priest, a priestly society of apostolic life of pontifical right founded in 1990, along with many devotees of the Infant King, say a Novena on the 17th-25th of every month. The novena prayer reads:

 Prayer to the Infant King

 "O Divine Infant Jesus, I have recourse to Thee. Please, through Thy Blessed Mother, assist me in this necessity ...mention intention..., because I firmly believe that Thy Divinity can help me. I hope with confidence to obtain Thy holy grace. I love Thee with all my heart and with all the strength of my soul. I repent sincerely of my sins and I beg Thee, O Good Jesus, to grant me the strength to triumph over them. I resolve never more to offend Thee and I come to offer myself to Thee with the intention of enduring everything rather than to displease Thee. Henceforth, I desire to serve Thee with fidelity and, for the love of Thee, O Divine Infant, I will love my neighbor as myself.