Brad Rozairo, OMI – Having handed over the responsibility to my successor to lead the Oblate Delegation of Japan-Korea, I left Japan on a sabbatical. I felt like I was walking with Mary, our Blessed Mother during this break. I want to share my spiritual journey with Mary in this article.
“Our Lady of Lourdes” is the title given to my home parish in Sri Lanka and it has a grotto surrounded by natural beauty. This has been an important place for my spiritual growth since childhood. As a teenager, apart from attending mass, rosary and novenas at the grotto, I also went there every evening with my father to pray after a bath at the church well as there was no water at home. Now, whenever I go home on vacation I visit the grotto with nostalgia, and as I pray, I relive my past. A grotto that keeps attracting many pilgrims even to this day has taken a special place in my heart. At the beginning of my one-year sabbatical, I visited the grotto to get blessings of our Mother.
In early January 2024, I began the first phase of my sabbatical in Texas, USA. I was happy to have lived close to Marian Grotto in San Antonio for four months during the spiritual renewal program. A beautiful grotto in a peaceful setup relaxed and refreshed my spirit. The Eucharistic celebrations, healing service and the recitation of the rosary in front of that grotto brought big crowds, and I was happy to be one among many. Being present in front of Mary and spending some quiet time with her assured me of her continuous care and protection.
Back in Sri Lanka, we have a church dedicated to “Our Lady of Guadalupe” and there were times I had attended mass in that church. From then onwards, the name Guadalupe stayed with me for a long time, but I never thought that I would get a chance to visit her in Mexico! Having finished the four-month program in San Antonio, I made a trip to Mexico City. I was so delighted to visit Guadalupe. It was exciting to be closer to our Mother and learn about the wonders she had performed in the lives of people. I was there for a few hours and trying to live the ‘aura’ of that Holy place. I felt very much blessed by our Mother.
The second phase of my sabbatical was in France. I was in Aix-en-Provence of the Foundation House of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, for a two-month renewal program on the charism of our Founder St. Eugene De Mazenod. During the program, we had pilgrimages to churches dedicated to Mary. One of them was a visit to Notre-Dame de la Garde, the shrine of “Our Lady of the Guard” overlooking the city of Marseille. The Oblate Founder built this amazing structure with its majestic golden statue of Mary with baby Jesus on the very top. It is said that in those days, the last sight the French missionaries would see of their native homeland, as they left for foreign land by ship was the image of Mary Immaculate. Visiting this beautiful shrine made me feel the protection of Mary and the role she plays in the life of a missionary who goes abroad to preach the good news.
Another place of pilgrimage was Notre-Dame de Lumiere, known as “Our Lady of Lights”. This is a Marian apparition Shrine where the Oblates have been ministering to people for many years. Lumières is a tiny hamlet in Goult, southeastern France and has been a place of pilgrimage since the 17th century. It was there that miraculous lights appeared, which cured a resident of Goult. Many villagers have seen lights, surrounded by the apparition of a “very beautiful child radiating light”, who was taken for the Child Jesus Himself. Later, people made Lumière a pilgrimage to Mary. It was interesting to learn the background of Lumières and the influence our Blessed Mother had in the lives of people. She keeps shedding light on pilgrims who visit her.
During the program in Aix, we were given a short break, therefore, I made use of it to visit two very important Marian apparition shrines. One was the famous Notre-Dame de Lourdes, and the other was Notre-Dame de Garaison, which is not very much known to the rest of the world. I was so glad to have spent two nights at Notre-Dame de Garaison with the Holy Cross fathers and experience their hospitality. This is a very remote place located in Hautes-Pyrénées, in France. I was given a very good tour of the place, but what was interesting to me was the apparition narrative of our Blessed Mother to a poor girl. Let me share in brief its origin.
In 1515, the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared three times to a poor twelve-year-old shepherdess Anglèze de Sagazan while tending her sheep. She brought back the messages from our Mother: “Here, I will spread my gifts“, “I want a chapel to be built“, “Do not forget to thank God for his blessings“. After the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin, a small chapel was built near the spring. Many pilgrims came to pray there, becoming more and more important, so the small chapel was replaced by the current one built in 1540.
From Notre-Dame de Garaison I got a lift to Notre-Dame de Lourdes which is around 75 kilometres by car. Unlike Garaison, Lourdes needs no explanation. My first visit to Lourdes was in 2001, but since I was with a big group it was not possible to spend enough time in that Holy place. Whereas this time it was different. I had ample time to visit the grotto, pray the rosary, celebrate the Eucharist, join the candle-lit procession and concelebrate in the international mass held in the Basilica. An Oblate, who was my guide took me to a few important places like the house of Bernadette and a visit to the community of the Oblate Chaplains serving the pilgrims at the grotto. I wanted to spend as much time as possible in the presence of our Blessed Mother and live that moment. Therefore, seeing many standing in a long queue very close to the grotto, I joined them with a rosary in one hand, while the other hand was feeling the moisture of the grotto stones. The closer I got to the statue of our Mother, the more I felt her warmth and closeness to her. I also felt that visiting Lourdes during my sabbatical was something special as I was on a spiritual renewal journey.
We have just begun a New Year with Mary, the patroness of the congregation of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. As an Oblate, it was a privilege to journey with her during the sabbatical pilgrimage. I owe a sense of gratitude to our Blessed Mother for her closeness and protection, especially during my travels. A fruitful sabbatical year may have ended, but my journey with Mary will continue for the rest of my life.
On January 1st 2025, during the celebration of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Mother of God, Pope Francis invited all of us to cherish life and “entrust our questions, our worries, our sufferings, our joys and the concerns we bear in our hearts to our Blessed Mother, so that hope may be reborn and peace may finally spring up for all people of the earth”. May the words of our Holy Father give us confidence to trust in the providence of Mary and walk with her especially during this Jubilee Year, while looking forward with hope to the future.
