When Father Smet, of the Society of Jesus, was preaching the Gospel to the natives of Oregon, in America, there was a little orphan-boy named Paul, who had the greatest difficulty in learning his Catechism, and even his prayers. He was an innocent boy and full of piety. He was never known to tell a willful lie.

One of the Christians of that place, whose name was John, seeing that the boy had great difficulty in learning the truths of Faith, kindly offered to teach him. However, though John was very patient with him, Paul could not keep the instructions in his head.

On Christmas Eve, in the year 1841, Paul went as usual to the hut of the good Christian to learn his prayers and his Catechism, but John was absent. Paul had to remain a long time waiting for his return. He waited so long that it grew dark and there was no light in the hut.

As Father Smet was finishing his work for the day, he heard footsteps outside his house. The door opened and Paul with a countenance full of joy, rushed into the room and began to recite his prayers. This time he said them all, from beginning to end, without making even one mistake. Father Smet, who had known of the boy’s difficulty, was amazed.

"Tell me, my child," he said, "how you have been able to learn your prayers so quickly. Surely God Himself must have come and taught you."

Paul answered, "While I was waiting for John to come home it began to be very dark, and in an instant the room was filled with oh, such a brilliant light! Then I saw a beautiful Lady enter. Her feet did not touch the ground, and she was dressed in a white robe with a veil upon her head. Under her feet I saw a serpent holding in his mouth a kind of apple I never saw before. I also saw bright rays of light coming from her hands and falling upon me. On seeing this beautiful Lady I was at first filled with great fear, but in a few moments the fear went away. Then I felt as if my heart was burning in my breast, and my mind became so clear that I could understand all things at once. I do not know how it happened, but in a moment I knew all my prayers and my Catechism."

Not long afterwards, someone gave Paul a little medal of the Immaculate Conception. As soon as he saw on it the figure of Our Lady he cried out, "That is the Lady I saw in the bright light in John’s hut!"

Our Lady herself had come to teach the little Indian boy how to say his prayers.