Pope urges prayers to the Virgin
during hard times
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| Pope Francis prays before an icon of the Virgin Mary in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Vatican Media) |
During the General Audience Pope Francis invites the
faithful to pray to the Virgin Mary reminding them that May 8 is the feast of
Our Lady of Lujan, the Patroness of Argentina. The same day, a traditional
petition will be made to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Pompei, Italy.
By Robin Gomes
“The day after tomorrow, May 8, the feast of Our Lady of
Lujan will be celebrated in Argentina,” Pope Francis said at Wednesday’s
General Audience, reminding his Spanish-speaking listeners about the feast of
the Patroness of his homeland. “May she, Mother of God and our Mother,” he
said, “intercede for us and obtain for us from Her Son the necessary graces in
this difficult time that the world is going through.”
The Shrine in Argentina
Pope Francis himself has made pilgrimages to the shrine of
Our Lady of Lujan, not far from Buenos Aires. He recently wrote a letter to
Archbishop Jorge Scheinig of Lujan expressing his wish to be a pilgrim at the
sanctuary on May 8 along with all the people of God to be gazed upon by the
Virgin Mary. “I will be with you spiritually, as a spiritual and 'virtual'
pilgrim. I will look at Her once again and, once again, I will let myself be
gazed upon by her,” he wrote.
The Shrine in Pompei
During Wednesday’s General Audience, Pope Francis also
addressed Italian listeners, reminding them that the same day, May 8, an
“intense prayer of “Petition to Our Lady of the Rosary” will be raised at the
Shrine of Pompei. “I urge everyone to unite themselves spiritually to this
popular act of faith and devotion, so that through the intercession of the
Blessed Virgin, the Lord may grant mercy and peace to the Church and to the
whole world.”
Twice each year, on May 8th and again on the first Sunday of
October, solemn prayers of petition are offered at the Marian Shrine at Pompeii
for the needs of the whole world.
Pope Francis visited the Marian Shrine of Pompei on March
21, 2015, becoming the 5th pontiff to do so.
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