This Sunday, September 4 at the Church of Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption in the commune of Sainte-Marie, a mass with the presence of the Tamil community took place for the installation of a new statue of Our Lady of Velankanni in gold leaf.
A virgin worshiped in India
In the 2000s, the parish priest of Ravine des Cabris brought back a plastic statue of Our Lady of Velankanni to the rescue. This saint is revered in India after the appearance of three miracles:
– In the 16th century: healing of the lame
– In the 16th century: the doubling of milk in a pot
– In the 17th century: rescue of Portuguese sailors stranded in the town of Velankanni in the Tamil Nadu region.
Many Indian Catholics honor this saint who is represented by the Virgin Mary and her son Jesus in her arms.
In Réunion, the cult of Our Lady of Velankanni originated in Sainte-Marie. In India, she is also called Our Lady of Health where she heals body and soul.
New statue in Sainte-Marie
This Sunday, September 4 at Church of Our Lady of the Assumptiona news Our Lady of . statue Velankanni has been installed. It was built of stone and covered with gold leaf. It is made in India and returned to our island.
“I want to harmonize worship with different roots. Our Lady of Velankanni worshiped in India, Reunion, but also in many parts of the world. There is a strong Indian sensibility in Sainte-Marie and that is what I want to maintain.”convinced Father Pascale.
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