Little Mei
Three-year old messenger for Jesus – a special story
Mei was a little Chinese girl, three years old, dark-eyed with black hair. She was in prison. Her mother had been telling everybody that she was a Christian and intended remaining one, so she had been put in prison (this was in the 1950's) and Mei had to go with her because there was nowhere else for her to go. The Christian prisoners were closely guarded, but the guards let Mei run about everywhere.
Amongst the prisoners was a bishop, some priests and nuns. They could not say Mass, but there were still some priests outside. They used to send in loaves to the prisoners, with consecrated hosts secretly hidden in them by arrangement; so the prisoners were able to receive Holy Communion.
Once, one Chinese woman was in solitary confinement. Nobody was allowed to visit her, but the guards did not count Mei. So the little girl took the Blessed Sacrament to her, hidden in her closed fist held demurely in her sleeves; and how glad the poor woman was.
Later on, Mei's mother was released, and returned with Mei to her village. There was still a missionary priest there, and Mei kept asking him to give her Holy Communion. She was still only four, but she knew all about it, and the priest let her make her first Communion, and a month afterwards she was confirmed.
When the priest was expelled from China, he said goodbye sadly to Mei and her mother, and hoped they would be left alone. He never heard how they got on, but he remembers how Mei said: “I'm not afraid; I've been confirmed.”
For Car 262- Canon F. Steels
From Holy Childhood Magazine