By our Special Correspondent
Thanjavur (TN) Aug 17 (IVC) The Vatican has approved devotion at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Health in Vailankanni, Tamil Nadu (India) , the site of reported apparition of the Virgin Mary in the 16th century.
The Perfect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) , Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez in his letter dated August 11 to Bishop Sagayaraj Thamburaj of Thanjavur confirmed that the action of God is present at the Velainkanni shrine.
“Through the centuries, Mary has continued to act in this place”, the Cardinal wrote “The millions of pilgrims who traveled here out of faith, and the many spiritual fruits that are produced at this shrine , make us recognize the constant action of the Holy Spirit in this place.
According to unconfirmed sources, approximately 20 million pilgrims from various parts of India and abroad visit the shrine each year, of which 3 million visit during the 11-day festival held from Aug. 29 to Sept 8 in honor of Our Lady of Good Health.
The devotion to Our Lady of Good Health began in the 16th century following three different oral accounts of the apparition of the Virgin Mary in Vaailankanni, a town in the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
The first apparition account of the Virgin kcknwleged by the DDF is thatof a local shepherd boy who, upon seeing the beautiful woman, offered the milk he was carrying with him for the child in her arms.
“This was an expression of the generosity of those who are willing to give something to others,in their own poverty. You do not need to have much in order to be generous. May this call to share, to assist, to be close to those who need us always resonate in this place”. Cardinal’s letter said.
The DDF also specifically recognized the account of Portuguese merchant sailors who landed safely in Velainkanni after a violent storm at sea On September 08, 1650. The day which was also the feast of the Nativity of Mary, the sailors vowed to build a church in thanksgiving to our Lady of Good Health.
More than 300 years after the construction of the original church Pope John XXIII (now saint) raised the Marian shrine to the status of basilica on November 03, 1962.
In 2002, Pope John paul II celebrated the annual World Day of the Sick at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Health.
In his letter to the bishop of Thanjavur, Fernandez said Pope Francis “extends his paternal blessings to all pilgrims” ahead of the shrine’s September 08 feast day.
“The Holy Father cares a lot about the popular piety of the faithful pilgrims, because they reflect the beauty of the Church on the move, which seeks Jesus in the arms of Mary and entrusts with its pain and hope to the heart of his mother”, Fernandez wrote.
