Velankanni, the Marian shrine for all, without syncretism
The bishop-elect of Thanjavur, the diocese in Tamil Nadu where the "Lourdes of the East" is located, comments for AsiaNews the letter in which Card Fernández, on behalf of Pope Francis, encourages pilgrimages that welcome the faithful of all confessions. “Christ is the way,” but “not all religions are the same.” Yet Mary “welcomes everyone.”
Velankanni (AsiaNews) – Card Victor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote a letter on behalf of Pope Francis, to Mgr Sagayaraj Thamburaj, bishop-elect of Thanjavur (Tanjore), the diocese where the Marian shrine of Velankanni (Vailankanni) in India is located, which will celebrate its annual feast day on 8 September.
“The millions of pilgrims who travel 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,” reads the missive.
“Velankanni is the place where thousands of people flock everyday from different parts of India irrespective of religion and language,” said Fr Devasagayaraj, Episcopal Vicar for Priests at the Archdiocese of Pondicherry, speaking to AsiaNews.
“People go to Velankanni to ease their worries, get rid of their problems and illnesses, and give thanks. For any important event in the family, members visit the shrine. During the annual feast on 8 September and Lenten season, thousands of people undertake walking pilgrimage from different parts of Tamil Nadu. For example, people walk from Chennai, which is 330 kilometres from Velankanni.”
“It is a place of religious harmony. Many people who go to Sabarimala also visit Velankanni with their religious dress. Many people who go to Nagur mosque, which is near Velankanni, also visit the Marian shrine. In the Tamil and Hindu tradition, people offer coconut and flowers to Mother Mary. Whoever comes to Velankanni gets inner peace and feels a positive vibe when they enter the Shrine campus.”
In his letter, Card Fernández focuses on this rush of people from different religions. “Many non-Christian pilgrims who come seeking solace echo similar experiences. Some of them are healed of their illnesses and many find peace and hope,” he said.
“Without a doubt, the Holy Spirit is also at work in them, responding to by Mary's intercession. This should not be considered as a form of syncretism or mixing of religions. The Sanctuary is a place where the closeness of Mary, who welcomes everyone and demonstrates the love of the Lord to those who reflect on it, is manifested.”
On the meaning of this letter for Velankanni, we publish remarks Mgr Thamburaj addressed to AsiaNews. He will be ordained bishop of the diocese where the shrine is located next Sunday, 18 August.
I was very happy to receive such a communication from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith; the document speaks so highly of Mary's shrine in Velankanni, it is almost considered something like the Lourdes of East.
Our beloved mother is always revealing herself as caring for the sick; therefore, in Tamil she is also known as Arokia Matha. Our Lady of Good Health is how she is known here.
The faith of our people who come to Velankanni is fervent and the love and respect they have for mother Mary is tremendous.
We are very grateful to Pope Francis, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Cardinal Victor Fernandéz, for recognising Velankanni Shrine as relevant for our people today.
I have no hesitation to say, whether those miracles were true or not or if they will be ascertained in the future or not, our people believe. Our people believe in the apparitions on Mary here. The document clearly states that this is traditionally believed.
In the document they mention two instances in which Mary appeared to a person carrying milk to a customer, asking him to give the milk to the child she was holding, and to Portuguese sailors.
I saw the document more as an exhortation rather than a statement (or something like that).
In the South of India, entire families visit the Shrine, not just individuals; entire households come on pilgrimage and spend a day or two to attend Mass, undergo the sacrament of penance, and participate in Marian devotions.
It is part of our religious heritage to visit this shrine as a family at least once a year. My parents brought me as a child, and my earliest memories is at the age of four years; I wanted to "tonsure" my head, but my dad was hesitant.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one most frequented at the shrine. Many people from all over the country visit the Shrine for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. They will not go to confession in their parish churches or diocese, or Elsewhere, but will receive the sacrament of penance only at Velankanni shrine.
A significant factor is that the letter mentions that people of other faiths, other denominations also come in great numbers, in great multitudes. People come without any regard for caste, creed, or religious affiliation, poor and rich, urban and rural; everyone is welcomed by Mother Mary, not only on special days but throughout the year. Hundreds of thousands of people come to Velankanni.
So we get God's love for us, Christ's love for us in the person of Mother Mary. People feel that they can have easy access to our beloved Mother, she can pray for them, listen to them, intercede for them, and get them God's Blessings, and they get it. The people get the motherly Love of God in Velankanni.
I was drawn to the document because it says that, although thousands of people of other faiths come to Velankanni, it is not a matter of syncretism.
While teaching in the seminary on Theology of Missions - Mission of the Church, I emphasised that we speak and promote interreligious dialogue and ecumenical efforts for the Catholic Church.
Christ is the way and the Gospel should be taken to the ends of the earth. Not all gods are same. Not all religions are same.
God has redeemed the World through Jesus Christ. God is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we know the importance and relevance of Christianity, and we are here as Christian ministers, attending to the different needs of people.
Our beloved Mother bears the message of love for all, even those who are not Christian, those outside the ambit of the church. Mary is the Mother of all, as God is for all. This is the message that Mary is trying to give us. We are not giving a generic understanding that all religions, any God, are the same.
We are here as Christians, as Church people. Our mother Mary embraces all people, and Mary is a symbol and a sign of God's Love.
I go to Velankanni and sit at Mary’s feet for an hour, and feel immensely blessed by God, and have the joy of being in God's presence. Velankanni is a place to have a God experience. People should feel Velankanni is an abode of God and an abode of Mother Mary, a Living shining witness.
I am happy that the shrine is attracting international recognition and that the Holy Father has given his own recommendation, exhorting people to go to Velankanni with this understanding, that it is universally and globally recognised as a place where our Beloved Mother is a sign of God's love and grace.
* bishop-elect of Thanjavur
(Nirmala Carvalho contributed to this article)
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