Marian routes are making a big return

Monsignor Dominique Le Tourneau (1) just published a new Guide of Marian Shrines in France (Guide des sanctuaires mariaux en France), in which he lists nearly 2,900 "active" sites, meaning that at least one pilgrimage or procession takes place there every year. Aleteia asked the author a few questions:

A: How do you explain such a large number of Marian shrines in France?

Mons. L: The first observation that I can make is very encouraging. We are witnessing a rebirth of pilgrimages that had ceased to exist in the second half of the last century, and the birth of new pilgrimages, such as a Marian route in the North or mountain bike pilgrimages for students. We should also mention that many former places of pilgrimage have sadly disappeared, often on account of the lasting effects of the French Revolution. I was expecting to find at most a thousand Marian shrines, but instead my research led me to almost three times that number!

A: You listed 240 places of apparitions of the Blessed Virgin in France throughout history. Don’t you think that many went unheeded?

Mons. L: No, on the contrary, in most cases, the apparitions were followed by the construction of a chapel and the organization of regular pilgrimages, which sometimes continued for several centuries.

A: Did the Blessed Virgin always deliver a specific message?

Mons. L: Sometimes the message was very clear, for instance the importance of observing Sunday as a day of rest, the sanctification of the Lord’s day and of holy feast days. On several occasions Mary came to remind us of this obligation, reproaching us for not respecting this commandment, as well as using the Lord’s name in vain and forgetting to pray. This is the meaning of the apparitions of Our Lady of the Wicker Tree (Notre Dame de l'Osier) in 1649, La Salette in 1846 (Isère department), and even more explicitly of Saint Bauzille de la Sylve in 1873, where “Our Lady of Sunday” is venerated.

In the 19^th century, five significant apparitions of the Blessed Virgin took place in France. The first one was at the Rue du Bac Chapel in Paris, on July 18-19, 1830, to St Catherine Labouré. Mary asked her to have someone make the Miraculous Medal, and then to distribute it widely. The second apparition was at La Salette, on September 19, 1846. There Mary lamented (to Maximin and Melanie) the lack of piety in the people and the laxity of the priests. Then in 1858, the Virgin Mary appeared 18 times to St Bernadette Soubirous, in Lourdes. It was just two years after the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, and Mary confirmed that it was indeed her name. She asked that the people do penance, convert, and pray the Rosary.

Then she appeared in Pontmain, on January 17, 1871, in the middle of the Franco-Prussian war, to six witnesses. The next day, the Prussians withdrew from the gates of Laval where they were preparing to enter. Mary has since been invoked under the name of Our Lady of Hope. Last but not least, the 5^th apparition of that century occurred in Pellevoisin in 1876. Mary appeared fifteen times there. A dying young woman, Estelle Faguette, was healed from a serious illness. Following the request of the heavenly Mother, a fraternity of Our Lady of Mercy was created.

(1) Monsignor Dominique Le Tourneau is a Catholic priest from the Prelature of Opus Dei, visiting professor in Canon Law, and writer

Aleteia