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Notre Dame du Laus is dedicated by The Roman Catholic Church on Sunday, making it a site to soon rival the holy site of Lourdes in France as a place of Christian pilgrimage.
On Sunday, The Roman Catholic Church gave its seal of approval to a shrine in the French Alps where the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to a young shepherdess. Notre Dame du Laus gets this recognition, the first such in France for nearly 150 years.
Speaking at Mass which was broadcast nationally on France-2 television, Monsignor Jean-Michel di Falco Leandri said he recognized the "supernatural origin" of the apparitions to 17-year-old Benoite Rencurel from 1664 to 1718.
Even before the official nod, thousands have visited the sanctuary of Benôite Rencurel who was just 16 when she first 'saw' the Virgin Mary. The sanctuary, which was founded by Rencurel, today welcomes some 120,000 pilgrims a year.
Some say that very quickly; this site would rival Lourdes, a site where Roman Catholic tradition holds that the Virgin Mary appeared before 14-year-old girl Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.
Legend has it that she saw the Virgin Mary around 2,500 times over 54 years. Also belief says that after four months of daily apparitions starting in May 1664, the Virgin Mary asked Rencurel to build a church and a house to receive priests.
Officials say that Rencurel often provided healing oils based on a method that the Virgin Mary passed on to the shepherd. Till this present day, many make the pilgrimage to this place in the hope of salvation and cure. A Belgian woman was apparently cured of a slipped disc after visiting the sanctuary.
Monsignor Jean-Michel di Falco Leandri said,
" I encourage the faithful to come and pray and to seek spiritual renewal in this sanctuary."
The recognition comes after years of efforts and repeated rejections from the church, on the part of the local and governmental authorities. A team of theologians, historians and psychologists after three years of research pieced together evidences lending credence to the belief.
Though claims of commercial prejudices have been denied vehemently by the church, the bishop saying that it was not a 'marketing ploy', the latest blessed turn of events can bring in more pilgrims adding to the 120,000 who normally visit the shrine. Though, the concoction of religion and politics is volatile in every culture let alone France, President Sarkozy has a point when he says." A man who believes is a man who hopes."
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." A man who believes is a man who hopes."
As my dad lay dying, I told him that he was going to a much better place. His last words were, "I hope."
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@ 666divine
." A man who believes is a man who hopes."
As my dad lay dying, I told him that he was going to a much better place. His last words were, "I hope."
Even we who are living need a daily dose of hope, don't we. Especially with all the negativity around. Perhaps, God is nothing but an infinite source of that hope. -
@ Saikat Basu (Maverick)
Even we who are living need a daily dose of hope, don't we. Especially with all the negativity around. Perhaps, God is nothing but an infinite source of that hope.
How can anyone of us ever possible live without hope and faith? Not necessarily in God, but our future? -
I find this thing despicable. On the one hand, Church officials will tell intellectuals that they are embarrassed by this type of mysticism, miracles and the like and that they want to do away with it, on the other hand, they continue the whole tasteless game because they know full well that the naive and the gullible cling to this type of thing.
"A Belgian woman was apparently cured of a slipped disc after visiting the sanctuary."
Indeed. I would balk at such odds. Of course, the faithful, if they really are faithful, don't have much of a choice since the Lord disapproves of going to a doctor. Given the limited space in Heaven, that would finish them off right then and there.
Also, how come that these miracle cures are always things that could have gone better anyway? Why don't the Lord and the Blessed Virgin never regrow amputated limbs?
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" A man who believes is a man who hopes." I agree, but is truth not better than false hope? This is seriously important because it is through the same mechanism that people are being had by faith healers, miracle cruisaders and alternologists of any and all types. -
@ Bart B. Van Bockstaele
I find this thing despicable. On the one hand, Church officials will tell intellectuals that they are embarrassed by this type of mysticism, miracles and the like and that they want to do away with it, on the other hand, they continue the whole tasteless game because they know full well that the naive and the gullible cling to this type of thing.
"A Belgian woman was apparently cured of a slipped disc after visiting the sanctuary."
Indeed. I would balk at such odds. Of course, the faithful, if they really are faithful, don't have much of a choice since the Lord disapproves of going to a doctor. Given the limited space in Heaven, that would finish them off right then and there.
Also, how come that these miracle cures are always things that could have gone better anyway? Why don't the Lord and the Blessed Virgin never regrow amputated limbs?
This debate has gone on since ages, with no winners :-) Faith does heal, provided its not misplaced. And I guess that, faith like religion and prayer should be an individual choice and not according to the dictates of any priest, church or temple.
As for the church, who knows their could be other 'religio-economic' issues too as one line in the report alluded. One thing is for sure and it has been said quite often that the church believes that 'ungodliness' is increasing amongst today's generation and the church is doing its best to counter this. -
@ 666divine
How can anyone of us ever possible live without hope and faith? Not necessarily in God, but our future?
Very true...and when things go wrong we do seek some higher help don't we! (And that is not the government or our boss, but its always God) -
@ Saikat Basu (Maverick)
This debate has gone on since ages, with no winners :-) Faith does heal, provided its not misplaced. And I guess that, faith like religion and prayer should be an individual choice and not according to the dictates of any priest, church or temple.
As for the church, who knows their could be other 'religio-economic' issues too as one line in the report alluded. One thing is for sure and it has been said quite often that the church believes that 'ungodliness' is increasing amongst today's generation and the church is doing its best to counter this. It doesn't. If it did, it would be fantastic, for it would be extremely easy to detect and it would be objective proof of the existence of a God.
I have a proposal: Churches can keep all their privileges, including their tax free status, on the condition that their followers stop using the medical system. They would no longer lose their lives being killed by these evil pharmaceutical companies and horrible frankendoctors. It would also lead to a drastic cut in medical costs and very happy non-believers.
Everybody wins!
The Lord would do good to purchase some extra bandwidth though, for it is going to receive a lot more requests suddenly. But for an omnipotent creature, this can be no problem, right? -
@ Bart B. Van Bockstaele
I agree, but is truth not better than false hope? This is seriously important because it is through the same mechanism that people are being had by faith healers, miracle cruisaders and alternologists of any and all types.
The rise of cults yes...but this is true for everything on this earth. Theirs good and theirs bad, theirs Yin and Yang. A knife cuts bread, but it also murders. But the good in faith cannot be discounted. It does more good everyday than bad probably does in an year. Ultimately, its an individual choice. -
@ Saikat Basu (Maverick)Ultimately, its an individual choice. I concur. However, this can only be true if and when the person making that individual choice has been fully educated and informed. -
@ Saikat Basu (Maverick)
Very true...and when things go wrong we do seek some higher help don't we! (And that is not the government or our boss, but its always God)
Perhaps, whatever shape/form or entity God may be. And if God is within us, then we do look within and try to find strength, courage or whatever it is we need to get us through. Add a Comment
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Virgin Mary Appearance in 17th Century France Gets Church Sanction
