A rich man in Venice had only one son because all the rest of his children had died. He sent the boy to live in a monastery to be raised by the abbot. The abbot, who called the boy his son, let him play in the cloister. While playing, the boy often went into the church where he admired a statue of the Virgin and Child.

He was captivated by the Child and went to see him often. He decided to offer him a portion of the meal they gave him. He went to the church, climbed up on the altar and laid the food out in front of the statue. He promised to bring the Child food everyday, and encouraged him to eat.

The boy did this for fifteen days. Then the statue of the Child spoke to him, bidding him to eat at his Father’s table the next day.

The abbot, noticing that the boy was growing thin, questioned him. The boy said that he had been sharing his food with the Child on the altar and explained that the Child had asked him to dinner.

The abbot, after asking the child if he could accompany him, assembled his monks. He told them that he would be leaving and appointed a successor, a monk named don Mateus.

That night both the abbot and the boy fell ill; at the sixth hour they were taken to heaven.