Message from Parish Priest.

SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES

GROTTO AT THE SEMINARY HILLS

          The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes is indeed a pilgrim center for all the believers and all those who come in faith to meet Mother Mary at the beautiful shrine at the Seminary Hills. The Grotto has a magnetic power because of the powerful presence of God and the innumerable prayers and petitions answered for the devotees of Mary. This shrine is more than 120 years old. Over the years the grotto has evolved to be what it is today. Some of the major concerns are to maintain the ecological balance, to sustain the natural ambience, to have more tree plantation, to focus on pilgrimage, to aim for spiritual transformation and to keep up the tranquility and peace.

 

1. Historical Background

          About 120 years ago two friends had gone to France, to Our Lady of Lourdes. They were absolutely fascinated by what they had seen and experienced. So they decided to bring a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes from France to Nagpur. Upon arrival, they approached the Bishop of Nagpur to select a suitable grotto for that statue. Seminary hill was identified as the most appropriate place and thus a small grotto was built and the statue was placed there. Within days the tiger infested area was transformed into a peaceful place and the place has almost a miraculous transformation from many atrocities to a place of peace and prayer.

          Over the years devotees began to come there during feast days and thus began the yearly celebration of the feast. Initially the place was known for its prayer and penance. But now it is a full pledged pilgrim center with not so many facilities, but the environment compensates for what is lacking. But from the very beginning in a small way celebrations, devotions and novenas have been associated with this shrine. But the important feast was always celebrated on the second Sunday of February and many people participate without failure in the nine days novena prayer, and for the nine Saturdays novenas. Year after year the number of people participating in these celebrations continues to increase. For more than one hundred years these celebrations have been going on and now every year roughly two to three lakhs of people come to this shrine. Now this is not a shrine only for Catholics, but it is for all people as the magnetism of Mother Mary brings people of all faith to this shrine to have blessings and experience of God and favours and presence of Mary our Mother. “A Shrine is a sign of God’s presence”. “A shrine is a place of the Spirit because it is a place where God’s fidelity reaches out and transforms us. People go to a shrine first of all to call upon and to receive the Holy Spirit, in order then to bring this SPirt to all the activities of their lives.” (The Shrine, 8 May 1999. Vatican City, No: 9)  This is a historical place to experience God and to receive his blessings and also to feel the powerful presence of Mother Mary and to receive manifold favours and healing.  

2. We have come with Great Expectation: We come to the Seminary Hills from far and wide, in fact from all over India. His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI says that “I come before you as a son visiting his Mother, and I do so in company with a multitude of brothers and sisters…. I wish to present to [Our Lady of Lourdes] the joys and hopes as well as the problems and sufferings of each one of these sons and daughters of yours” (Benedict XVI, Prayer before the image of Our Lady, at the Shrine of Fatima, 12 May 2012) so that all our prayers may be answered and we may be blessed with miracles. Mother Mary draws us here to give an experience of God and to shower us with blessings and favours. It is a time of intense prayer, and it is a time of gratitude to God for all the blessings received and to pour out our hearts in hope for all the petitions and it is an opportunity to adore the God who is close to us and that he may give us an experience of Him.

3. Blessings and Favours through this Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes.

          Mother Mary has appeared in this place and has worked miracles. This place has transformed from being a tiger infested forest, to a simple memorial place, to a parish to a shrine. It is a dwelling place of God to draw us to him and to receive blessings, favours and healing from God and from Mother Mary. Prophet Ezekiel reminds us of the most encouraging and hope filled message, that wherever God dwells “there shall be showers of blessings” (Ezek 34: 26). To have these blessings we ought to experience the closeness with God and allow God to direct the blessings upon us. In the book of Leviticus we read that the Lord will command the blessings to reach us, particularly when to go to meet Him ‘in a shrine’ where God dwells. “I will command my blessings upon you” (Lev 25: 21). Pope Benedict XVI tells us that, “When Christians of all times and places turn to Mary, they are acting on the spontaneous conviction that Jesus cannot refuse his mother what she asks; and they are relying on the unshakable trust that Mary is also our mother – a mother who has experienced the greatest of all sorrows, who feels all our griefs with us and ponders in a maternal way how to overcome them. How many people down the centuries have made pilgrimages to Mary, in order to find comfort and strength before the” (Benedict XVI, Vespers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Etzelsbach, Germany, 23 September 2011) statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, here at the Seminary Hills. It is a chosen place for God to come down among us and shower the blessings. It is a dwelling place of Mary to reach out to every one and to listen to us.

4. Families are Blessed, when we follow God:

          We often wonder why so many people flock to this shrine and other holy places of devotion, because all of us long to be with God and receive his blessings. The blessings are not only given to individuals but also to every family. Most of the time people go to a shrine with the entire family, believing in the promise of God, “that a blessing may rest on your house.”(Ezek 44: 30) When the entire family is blessed, the presence and blessings of God animate the entire family to live according to the plan and holy will of God.

          We are in this shrine and we are assured of the inspiration from God, guidance and blessings if we follow the command, the guidelines and the directives of God. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (Jn 14: 15) In the book of Deuteronomy it is told that “all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.” (Deut 28: 2) It is so important for us to walk along with God, in the path of God and receive the blessings. Today we are present here in this shrine to receive the manifold blessings from God.

          As we prepare to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes we have great expectation. St. James in his letter reminds us to “confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” (James 5: 16) Through confession and spiritual transformation, we will be totally and completely healed. Surely we have the promise from our Lord that our prayers will be answered as we read in the Gospel of St. John, “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it” (Jn 14: 13). May Mary our Mother continue to be with us, working miracles for us, for our families and for the entire community of humanity. Let us thank God for all the blessings and healings we have received, and let us pray to God through the intercession of Mary our mother to be with us to guide, to bless, to lead, to support, to protect and above all to  heal us.  

Fr. Amirtha Raj OP