Kenya
national Marian shrine
Anniversary celebrations at Kenya's national Marian shrine
Francis Njuguna
The National Marian Shrine of Kenya, based at Subukia in the diocese of
Nakuru, celebrated its 20th anniversary
The foundation stone of the shrine was laid by the late Pope John Paul
II, when he made his first pastoral visit to Kenya in1980. Since then
it has attracted millions of pilgrims from Kenya and abroad.
A colourful Mass to mark the occasion was concelebrated by five
bishops: Peter Kairu of Nakuru Diocese, Cornelius Schilder of Ngong
Diocese, Martin Kivuva of Machakos Diocese, Salessius Mugambi of Meru
Diocese and Virgilio Pante of Maralal Diocese.
In his homily, Bishop Kairu, the host urged the congregation to always
align themselves with Mary, the mother of our Lord and the teachings of
the church. He also urged Kenyans to make every effort to keep
the peace, pointing out that in recent times some regions in the
country including Mount Elgon, Tana River, Meru,Transzoia and some
parts of his Nakuru Diocese have been hit by land clashes.
Bishop Kairu finally cautioned people to use discernment when they vote
in the country's presidential and parliamentary elections later this
year.
The current government of President Mwai Kibaki was elected in the year
2002 and its five-year-term elapses later this year.
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Our
Lady Aparecida
Also known as Our Lady Who Appeared
Memorial 12 October
Profile In October 1717, Dom Pedro de Almedida, Count
of
Assumar passed through the area of Guarantinqueta, a small city in the
Paraiba river valley. The people there decided to hold a feast in his
honour, and though it was not fishing season, the men went to the
waters to fish for the feast. Three of the fishermen, Domingos Garcia,
Joco Alves, and Felipe Pedroso, prayed to the Immaculate Conception,
and asked God's help. However, after several hours they were ready to
give up. Joco cast his net once more near the Port of Itaguagu, but
instead of fish, he hauled in the body of a statue. The three cast
their net again, and brought up the statue's head. After cleaning the
statue they found that it was Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.
Naming their find Our Lady Aparecida, they wrapped it in cloth and
continued to fish; now their nets were full.
While we do not know why the statue was at the
bottom of the river, we do know who made it. Frei Agostino de Jesus, a
carioca monk from Sao Paulo known for his sculpture. The image was less
than three feet tall, was made around 1650, and must have been
underwater for years. It is a dark brown color, is covered by a stiff
robe of richly embroidered thick cloth, and wears an imperial crown
which was added in 1904. Only her face and hands can be seen. Pope Pius
XII proclaimed her principal patroness of Brazil in 1930. It was
recently vandalized by being broken into several pieces just prior to a
visit by Pope John Paul II, but a group of dedicated artists and
artisans carefully pieced it together again .
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Our
Lady of Vladimir
 Late 11th - early
12th century, Byzantium.
The earliest references to the icon are found in the oldest chronicles
(entries for 1155). The first Story was compiled in Vladimir at Prince
Andrei Bogolubsky's court in the 1160s. Prince Andrei took the icon
with him when he acquired the throne of Vladimir and Suzdal. He ordered
for the holy image a gold case, and placed it in the new Dormition
Cathedral of Vladimir. Though some miracles of the icon were known in
Kiev, the peak of its glory came in Vladimir. When Tamerlane's horde
invaded Russia in 1395, the image was brought to Moscow for heavenly
intercession to ward off the city's doom — and miraculous deliverance
did come. The Story was composed some years later, when the worship of
the icon became even more dedicated. It came to Moscow for good in
1480. In the next century the icon became the palladium of Moscow and
the most important among Russian holy relics. The icon is commemorated
three times a year: August 26 (Moscow's deliverance from the Tartar
siege of 1395), June 23 (final transfer of the icon to Moscow, and the
bloodless victory over Tartars on the Ugra river, 1480), and May 21
(Moscow's deliverance from Khan Mahmet Ghirei in 1521). At these feasts
there were the liturgical processions with the original icon or its
copy.
The image belongs to the iconographic type known as Tenderness
(Umilenie) or Eleusa. It prototyped many Russian iconographic variants
of the Virgin Tenderness, connected with some miraculous icons of local
worship.
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Our
Lady the Joy of All
Afflicted
Late 17th - early of 18th century (after 1697). From the St. Nicholas
Church in Tolmachi, Moscow.
The icon is a copy of the miracle-working image of Our Lady
the Joy of
All Afflicted of the Transfiguration Church at Ordynka, Moscow. The
worship started in 1688, after it cured the sister of Patriarch
Joachim. The icon, probably, appeared in the church after it was
rebuilt of stone in 1685. The history of this icon is unclear.
According to one version, it was in the Church of Our Lady the Joy of
All Afflicted at Ordynka on the site of the Transfiguration Church,
till it was closed in the Soviet years. According to another
hypothesis, the miraculous icon was taken to St. Petersburg on order of
Natalia, a sister of Peter the Great, in 1711, while a copy remained in
Moscow. The Moscow and St. Petersburg images have notable iconographic
differences.
Known in Russia since the 1680s, the iconography of Our Lady the Joy of
All Afflicted emerged under spectacular influences of several Roman
Catholic types. Hence its many variants, largely differing on many
points. They have only one feature in common — the figures of sufferers
praying to the Virgin, the Protectress interceding for them. The St.
Petersburg icon, with no such figures, is the only exception. The
iconographic variant which includes both the Moscow and St. Petersburg
images has the crowned Virgin in the centre (often portrayed standing
on the moon), holding the Child, also crowned, on Her left arm, and
surrounded by a halo — the Roman Catholic type ascending to the words
of Revelation about the «woman clothed with the sun» (Rev
12:1). The variant to which the miracle-working icon of Moscow belonged
adds to this image a crowd of sufferers divided in six groups —
seniors, the unclothed, the sick, the afflicted, the hungry and
travellers, all consoled by angels at Her bidding. These figures
directly illustrate the troparion to the icon, written in a cartouche
in the lower part of the composition. The Moscow icon has one
definitive characteristic — four saints to both sides of the Virgin,
above the sufferers — Sergii of Radonezh, Theodore of Sykeon, Gregory
Decapolites and Barlaam of Khutyn.
The icon repeats the iconography of the Moscow miraculous image closely
enough, and almost fully coincides with it in size. It may be seen as
one of the oldest replicas of this type. It changes the arrangement of
the four supplementary saints, and replaces St. Gregory Decapolites by
Gregory of Neocaesarea — perhaps, due to the topographical closeness of
the St. Nicholas Church at Tolmachi and the Church of St. Gregory of
Neocaesarea at Polyanka.
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Inauguration
of Bali's
first Marian shrine
Sanih Water, Bali's first Marian shrine, was inaugurated late last
month after an eight-year wait, with more than 1500 Catholics from
Denpasar parishes attended the first mass celebrated there by the
Denpasar Bishop Banyamin Yosef Bria.
AsiaNews reports that local Hindu leaders were also among the
congregation.
The grotto is situated in Yeh Sanih village 60 km north of Denpasar,
which is governed by "desa pakraman", a system of rural leadership
typical of Hinduism. During Mass, the residents sang songs typical of
the area accompanied by a transitional Balinese orchestra, the
"gamelan".
In his sermon, Bishop Bria called on the shrine management to "welcome
all people who come seeking God's mercy". The village head Made
Sukresna was present at the ceremony; he said the shrine "would not
disrupt local people's lifestyle" and that villagers "know Catholicism
is a recognized religion in Indonesia".
The head of another local village, Astra, added that "none of the
people have complained about this place". Moreover, he said, the shrine
contributed to the local economy and those managing the shrine "have
established good relationships with all".
The three-hectare grounds which host the shrine belong to St. Joseph
College Foundation, run by priests of the Congregation of the Disciples
of the Lord. The foundation bought the land in 1990 and turned it into
a garden. Sukresna said the priests have always given flowers and fruit
of the land for traditional Hindu religious festivals.
Astra recalled that when an economic crisis hit the country in 1997,
the foundation decided to reduce its employees' working hours and wages
rather than dismiss them; regular conditions were reinstated once the
crisis passed. About proselytism, Astra said: "There is no proselytism
here, by anyone".
Sukresna added that "all religions teach goodness and no Hindu feels
threatened by the shrine". After Mass, Fr Willy Malim Batuah, president
of the foundation, recounted the history of the place: the organisation
bought the land in 1990 "to bring the Good News of happiness and peace"
to the people, which "does not mean baptizing non-Catholics". The
shrine was completed in 1997, but the official opening took place only
today "because now we are finally clear about the response of the local
people".
SOURCE Bali's first Marian shrine inaugurated after 8 year wait
(AsiaNews.it
5/11/05)
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| The month of May is Our
Lady’s
month and Christians suddenly become
pilgrims rather than tourists as they flock in their tens of thousands
to Marian shrines throughout the whole of the Christian world. An
extremely large number travel to Lourdes, France; others go
to Fatima,
Portugal |
550 Blessed
Virgin
Mary and Joan of Arc
in the sixth century
Verdun: a chapel under the protection of the had
replaced a
statue of the Gaulish Mercury.
In 709 a monastery dedicated to St. Michael was established
on Mount de
Châtillon by Vulfoad, mayor of the palace under Childeric, King
of Austrasia. Abbot Maragdus, a friend of Charlemagne, transferred it
in 819 to the borders of the Meuse, thus founding the town of
Saint-Mihiel. The reform inaugurated by the congregation of Saint Vanne
was introduced into this monastery in 1606 by Cardinal Charles de
Lorraine, one of its abbots. Cardinal de Retz was also an abbot of
Saint-Mihiel and occupied the castle of Commercy, where he wrote his
"Memoirs on the Fronde", and which castle he restored and afterwards
sold to Charles IV of Lorraine.
The castle and town of Vaucouleurs belonged to the lords of
Joinville,
one of whom wrote the life of St. Louis.
At this town Joan of Arc presented herself to Robert de
Baudricout,
offering her services against the English who were then besieging
Orléans.
Before the foundation of the Fortress of Montmedy there
existed, on the
rock dominating the town, a chapel under the protection of the Blessed
Virgin which in the sixth century had replaced a statue of the Gaulish
Mercury.
The Diocese of Verdun figures largely in the history of art,
owing to
the sculptor Ligier Richier (1500-72), a pupil of Michelangelo.
1598 1st
Shrine of Our Lady in the U.S. -- Our Lady of La Leche
The Shrine of Our Lady of la Leche is the first shrine
dedicated to Our
Blessed Mother in the United States. The devotion to Our Lady of la
Leche was brought from Spain in 1598 by the Spanish settlers of St.
Augustine. The present chapel dates from 1914 and is a replica of
earlier coquina chapels. It houses a replica of the statue of Our Lady
of la Leche and provides visitors with a quiet place to pray.
For a more extensive history of the Shrine of Our Lady of la
Leche and
Mission Nombre de Dios, visit www.missionandshrine.org. There you will
find information on the facilities of the Mission and Shrine,
educational tours for pilgrimages and school groups and The Shrine Gift
Shop.
Location 27 Ocean Avenue St. Augustine, FL 32084 (904)
824-2809 or Toll
Free at 1-800-342-6529
Fax: (904) 829-0819 Email: shrine@missionandshrine.org
Director of Mission & Shrine Eric P. Johnson
Assistant Manager Laurie Barrancottoor to Ireland
to honour Our Lady of Knock,
to Poland to venerate the famous Black Madonna of
Czestochowa; Italians are partial to Loreto and
in the Americas thousands go to Mexico to pray at the beloved
shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
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Shrines to the Virgin Mary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from Marian shrine)
In Christian
culture and practice, a shrine to
the Virgin Mary or Marian shrine is a shrine
marking an apparition or other miracle
ascribed to the Blessed Virgin Mary, or a site on
which is centered a historically strong Marian devotion. Such locales
are
often the destination of pilgrimages.
Many of the shrines have acquired a symbolic value for
patriotism and nationalism in their area.
Among the shrines considered most significant for their apparitions:
- Our Lady of Fatima in Fatima, Portugal
- The Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico
City, Mexico
- The Basilica of Our Lady, Queen of Ireland
in Knock, Ireland
- Loreto, Italy
- The Black Madonna of
Czestochowa in Czestochowa, Poland
- The Sanctuary of Our Lady
of Lichen in Lichen (Poland), Poland
- The Sanctuary of Our Lady of
Lourdes in Lourdes, France
- The Sanctuary
of the Black Virgin of Montserrat, Montserrat, Catalonia, Spain
- The Basilica of Our Lady of the
Pillar, Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain
- Our Lady of La Vang
in La Vang, Vietnam
- Our Lady of La Salette in La
Salette, France
- Our Lady of Walsingham
in Walsingham, England
- Our Lady of Ipswich in Ipswich, England
- Our Lady of Ostra
Brama in Vilnius, Lithuania
- Basilica of the Virgin Mary, India
- Our Lady of China in Donglu, China
- the Virgin of Sheshan,
Help of Christians
in Sheshan, China
Other shrines include:
- Our Lady of Bliss near
Guiyang, China
- Covadonga, Asturias, Spain.
- Guadalupe, Spain.
- Our Lady of Heiloo
in the Netherlands
- the Church of Our Lady of the
Rosary
in Longtian, China
- the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Qingyang,
China
- the Basilica
of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC
- Shrine of Our Lady, Bradstowe
- The "sweet mother" in the cathedral
of 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands.
- Valvanera, Spain
- Our Lady of Sorrows in Warfhuizen,
the Netherlands.
- Our Lady of Combermere in Ontario, Canada.
- House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus, Turkey.
- Il-Madonna tal-Mellieha
in Mellieha, Malta
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France, Eldest
Daughter of Mary and the Church
In France, Marian history started at a very early stage! It was
actually in 40 AD when the very first evangelists set foot on the
Phoenician shore (now the Marseille region). Some of Jesus’ most
intimate friends were in this first boat: Lazarus, Martha, Mary of
Bethany, a cousin of the Virgin Mary (to whom Mary had confided her
most precious relic, the mortal remains of her mother Anna) and also
some disciples. (1)
“The Virgin who will give birth”: the first message delivered by Mary
in Gaul, prior to the fifth century
The first message delivered by Mary in Gaul appears to have taken place
at Chartres, which was at the time the capital of the Carnute tribe.
The apparition of Mary as “The Virgin who will give birth” occurred
before 5 AD on the site of what is now the famous Cathedral of Our Lady
of Chartres. As for the first actual sanctuary dedicated to the
Virgin Mary renowned in Gaul was built in the fifth century, in the
city of the Puy en Velay. The story has it that an ailing woman who was
praying to the Mother of Christ was led by an angel to the top of one
of the highest hills in the city. At this site, in response to her
prayers, Mary appeared and the woman was cured. The St Mary's Chapel
still sits on the spot of the miracle. In fact the city was
initially named “Le Puy Marie”. Today the shrine of Our Lady of
the Puy is among the most visited sites of pilgrimage in France.
Another shrine of great importance in 5th century Gaul is Notre Dame of
Reims (built in 401 at the request of the bishop Saint Nicaise.) where
on December 25, 496 the baptism of the recent invader
and ruler of Gaul, by the bishop Saint Remi; Clovis the first king of
the Franks after whom France was named. In the next few centuries
Marian shrines multiplied. The most well known along the pilgrimage
trail leading to Saint James of Compostela are: Our Lady of Vezelay and
Our Lady of Rocamadour. Later, between the 10th and 12th
centuries, imposing Gothic cathedrals dedicated to the Virgin Mary were
erected: Paris, Chartres, Bourges, Reims, Laon, etc.
In the 13th century, at the wish of Louis XIII France was consecrated
to Our Lady of the Assumption and Mary became one of the principal
patrons of the country
Among other approved Marian apparitions in France, let us mention
Our Lady of Graces who appeared in the 16th century, at Cotignac, in
the Provence region, and whose pilgrimage was sabotaged by the
French Revolution of 1789; but which has since fully regained its
popularity. Another key moment in France's Marian history concerns the
Oath of Louis XIII on February 10, 1638, consecrating France to Our
Lady. As a result, Our Lady of the Assumption was declared principal
patroness of France while the date of August 15, feast of Our Lady of
the Assumption, was established as a national holiday. (2)
From the 17th century on the apparitions of Mary have proliferated in
France. A few years before the apparition of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
to St Margaret Mary Alacoque at Paray le Monial in 1673, an apparition
of Mary to a young shepherdess named Benoite Rencurel, was recorded in
the village of the Laus (Alps) in the year 1664.
The 19th century recorded a great number of Mary’s apparitions in
France…
Some important accounts of Marian apparitions in France are:
Apparition to Catherine Laboure (Rue du Bac) where Mary expressed
the wish to have a "miraculous medal" struck for the faithful. In
1846, 16 years later, in the French Alps for another time, a tearful
Virgin appeared to two children. Then twelve years later, in
Lourdes, Mary visited Bernadette Soubirous and confirmed the new
dogma of her Immaculate Conception. In 1876, in Pellevoisin, region of
Berry, under the name of Mother of Mercy, Mary appears to the young
Estelle Faguette whom she cures and asks to spread the devotion of the
scapular.
Marian apparitions in the 20th century:
At l’Ile Bouchard, in 1957, Mary appears to four young children and
asks them to pray for France, whose government was in imminent
danger of a coup. France was spared in extremis from a coup d'Etat.
More recently, the initiative of the Pilgrim Virgins of Notre Dame of
France has given rise to a renewed Marian devotion. The
pilgrimage of the statues started in September 1995 in Le Puy en Velay.
Before reaching Notre Dame de Baillet in France near Paris, the statues
were carried for a whole year across the country and its parishes. From
there they crossed to Italy to converge in Rome, December 8, 1996, as
the launching platform to the world’s 5 continents.
France's most popular Marian shrines and sanctuaries are:
Our Lady of l’Ile Bouchard
Our Lady of Laghet (diocese of Nice)
Our Lady of Victories (Paris)
Our Lady of the Laus
Our Lady of Peace
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Reims
Our Lady of les Ardilliers at Saumur
Our Lady of Gray
Our Lady of La Treille - protectress of the Flanders
Our Lady of Lavasina - the "Lourdes" of Corsica
Our Lady of Myans - near Chambery
Our Lady of Thierenbach - in the Alsacian foothills
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Our Lady of the Puy en Velay
Our Lady of La Salette
Our Lady of Pontmain and Pellevoisin
Our Lady the Underground (Chartres)
Our Lady of Cotignac
Our Lady of Rocamadour
Our Lady of La Gard at Marseille
Our Lady of Happiness in Ollioules (Toulon) Oath of Louis XIII, address
to the Senate
Consecration to Mary, at the Marian Congress of 1938.
Consecration to Our Lady of Corsica
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