Mary Comes to Her People (I)

It all began in April 1984, when Edmond Fricoteaux, a French lawyer in his mid-fifties, visited Rome for the first time. He had an astonishing conversion of heart during a confession he made in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. His thirst for the truth grew stronger and stronger, and he became an avid reader of spiritual writers such as Saint Louis Grignion de Montfort. One day, after many hours of fervent prayer, his love for the Blessed Virgin grew to such an extent that he became convinced that God had given him a mission - to set up a giant statue of the Virgin Mary near an important highway not far from Paris. He managed this feat and on October 15, 1988 the statue was blessed by the late Cardinal Lustiger, Archbishop of Paris. Later, one early September evening in 1995, "Maman Mobiles" (cars with trailers) came from all over France, each one bearing one of the 108 different statues and icons of the Blessed Virgin, and all converged on a highway near the Puy-en-Velay, the chosen site for the launch of the pilgrim statues. The Puy is one of the oldest shrines of the Mother of God in Europe, dating back to the 12th century. The large statue of the Blessed Virgin called "Notre Dame de France" (Our Lady of France) dominates the skyline.