In a country village of France, not very long ago, there lived a young man who was very bright in his studies. So it was decided that he should be sent to Paris, to learn under the best teachers. This was very exciting news for him. He looked forward to seeing the capital of his country.

Before leaving home he went to bid good-bye to his friends. He told them that if there was anything he could do for them during his stay in Paris, he would be happy to be of service.

One of his friends was a pious lady who had known him from his childhood. When he made her this offer, she thanked him for his kindness, and said:

"There is a something I would desire you to do for me when you go to the capital. But I do not like to ask you, because you might find it difficult to do."

The gentleman smiled. He assured her that she was mistaken. He would be glad and most willing to do anything for her, since she had been such a good friend to him for so many years.

"Well," she said, "what I want you to do for me is to go to the Church of Our Lady of Victories in that city. And there, before the Altar of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, say one Hail Mary for me."

What was so difficult about that? The good woman knew very well that her poor young friend was not the type to pray on his own. He had been taught his prayers as a child. But over the years, he had allowed himself to get so distracted with the cares of the world that he forgot about God almost completely.

For his part, the gentleman did not pretend piety for her sake. In fact, he struggled to keep from smiling at her unexpected request. She expected him to kneel in a church and pray? What a joke!

But it was no joke to her. She earnestly awaited his answer. The look on her face was too serious to laugh at. So he replied as calmly as he could that he would gladly do what she requested.

When he got to Paris he at once set out to fulfill his friends’ various requests. But he kept delaying his visit to Our Lady’s church. When the time came for him to go back home, he still had not said the promised Hail Mary.

He was tempted to just return home without going at all to Our Lady’s church. But he knew that the lady would ask him if he had fulfilled his promise. He didn’t want to lie, especially to so dear a friend…

So he was left with no choice. He would simply have to summon his courage, and step into a church to say a simple little prayer. How hard could that be, after all?

It had been many years since he last entered a church. He chose a time when he thought there would be no one there, and slipped in without being seen. He was determined to fulfill his promise and leave as quickly as possible.

Finding the nearest pew, he awkwardly bent his knees, and lowered himself till he knelt. He almost didn’t know how to kneel anymore. Now that he was in position, the next thing was to say the Hail Mary.

"Hail Mary…"

Then he stopped. His mind went blank. It had been so long, that the words of that simple, common prayer were forgotten! He struggled to remember the rest of the prayer. His efforts were not in vain. Slowly, bit by bit, the words came back to him, and he fumbled through the long-forgotten prayer.

The memory of the Hail Mary brought other memories with it - memories of his childhood, of a time when that prayer was part of his daily life.

The whole experience had a stronger effect on him than he had expected. Kneeling in Our Lady’s church, he began to feel that he was in the presence of God. He had barely given God a thought for so many years. But all that time, God never stopped looking after him.

The young man was overwhelmed. He trembled, and quietly wept. At times a sigh escaped him.

One of the priests of the church was kneeling a little distance away. He noticed the newcomer, quietly weeping and shuddering in a remote corner of the church. It was a touching sight, though not an unusual one.

He rose, and went toward the young man. Taking him gently by the hand, the kind priest said:

"My dear friend, I am sure that you are one of Our Lady’s wandering children whom She sends back to us from time to time."

"Alas! Reverend Father, it is but too true; I have indeed wandered far, far away from Her."

The good priest took care of the now repentant sinner. In a short time, the young man had made his confession, and received Holy Communion. His soul was filled with a peace and joy that he had not known for far too long.

After that, he returned home. Before long, he saw all his friends again. But his first visit was to the good woman who had asked him to say the Hail Mary in the Church of Our Lady of Victories.

There could hardly have been a church more appropriately named for this incident. For this worldly young man’s unexpected return to grace was indeed Our Lady’s victory.