We Would Love
to Keep in Touch!
From the very first day of our existence as Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, our identity has been intertwined with shrines, pilgrimages and welcoming visitors to our churches, residences and ministries.
From Modest Beginnings…
On September 19, 1851, after “a precise and rigorous investigation” of the event, the witnesses, the content of the
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| Bp. Philibert de Bruillard, Bishop of Grenoble |
message, and its repercussions, an aged Philibert de Bruillard, Bishop of Grenoble, pronounced with determination and excitement his judgment in a pastoral letter of instruction. He declared that “the apparition of the Blessed Virgin to two shepherds, September 19, 1846, on a mountain in the Alps, located in the parish of La Salette... bears within itself all the characteristics of truth and that the faithful have grounds for believing it to be indubitable and certain.”
In another pastoral letter, dated May 1,1852, the Bishop of Grenoble announced the construction of a Shrine on the mountain of the apparition, and went on to say: “However important the erection of a Shrine may be, there is something still more important, namely the ministers of religion destined to look after it, to receive the pious pilgrims, to preach the word of God to them, to exercise towards them the ministry of reconciliation, to administer the Holy Sacrament of the altar, and to be, to all, the faithful dispensers of the mysteries of God and the spiritual treasures of the Church.
“These priests shall be called the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette; their institution and existence shall be, like the Shrine itself, an eternal monument, a perpetual remembrance, of Mary's merciful apparition.”
The first priests were imbued with the spirit of the Apparition and devoted themselves to the service of the pilgrims. From the beginning they felt the call to live the vowed religious life. Six of them pronounced their first vows on Feb. 2,1858.
To All Her People…
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The first group of diocesan priests |
Within sixty years we had gone to the four corners of the world to announce Mary’s message. Presently the La Salette Missionaries have shrines in thirteen countries. Of course, due to the devotion of many people to Our Lady of La Salette, La Salette Shrines have been built and now ministered by diocesan priests with the support of their people; for example, those on the Carribean Islands of Dominica and Saint Martin and in Beausejour, Province of Manitoba, Canada and Kodaikanal, India, and Trambileno, in northern Italy.
The Shrines presently ministered to by the La Salette Missionaries include: France as well as Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Czech Republic, India, Italy, Madagascar, Myanmar, Philippines, Poland, the Island of Reunion, Spain, and the United States.
The Important Place of Shrines
in La Salette Ministry
Shrine ministry has always had a special place in the life and ministry of the La Salette Missionaries. In the Proposed La Salette Rule of 1852, it mentions that “the Missionaries of La Salette… will… be charged with the care of the Shrine of La Salette (in France).” (1852)
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| Shrine on the Holy Mountain as depicted in a stained glass window in Hartford, CT., chapel. |
In the La Salette Rules of 1868, 1939 and, finally, in the revised Rule of 1987, it states that the La Salette Missionaries are called to “faith enrichment ministries: preaching retreats and missions, … leading prayer communities or groups committed to a deeper understanding of the Christian vocation, … caring for shrines, especially that of the (Shine on the) Holy Mountain” (38cp).
What are the Various Purposes of a Shrine?
The Catholic Church has recently explained the special place of Shrines in the life of the Church Universal. In 2001, the Vatican Document, Directory on Popular Piety and Liturgy, devotes an entire chapter to “Shrine and Pilgrimages” (#261-288).
The Vatican document begins:
"At shrines more abundant means of salvation are to be provided for the faithful; the word of God is to be carefully proclaimed; liturgical life is to be appropriately fostered especially through the celebration of the Eucharist and penance; and approved forms of popular piety are to be fostered. (We) offer some guidelines for the pastoral activities of shrines, and for pilgrimages...”
Pilgrimage:
• Pilgrimage is a universal religious experience and a typical expression of popular piety. Pilgrims needs shrines, and shrines need pilgrims. As the shrine is a place of prayer, a pilgrimage is a journey of prayer.
• From antiquity, pilgrims have always brought home souvenirs of their pilgrimage, in recollection of the shrine that they had visited.
• To offer the purchase of memorials: By offering our property as a place of peace and welcoming various memorial dedications
In this document it also gives a fairly extensive list of the programs and qualities of a Catholic Shrine. Shrines… are often:
• A memorial to an original extraordinary event – ours being remembrances of the event and message of Our Lady of La Salette.
• Privileged places of divine assistance and of the intercession of Blessed Virgin Mary
• Signs of cosmic harmony and reflections of divine beauty – places of quiet reflection, prayer and natural beauty.
What are the Various Programs or Offerings of a Shrine?
A. Shrines can offer:
1. The Word of God: services of the Word of God by virtue of the Gospel message proclaimed in them;
2. Cultic celebrations: the faithful visit shrines to participate in the liturgical celebrations and the various pious exercises practiced there. In fact, those in charge of shrines should ensure that the quality of the liturgy celebrated at the shrines is exemplary:
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| A group of La Salette Laity on the summit of Mt. Gargas with Bro. Pedro Battistini, M.S. (far right) |
• Celebration of the Sacrament of Penance: For many of the faithful, a visit to a shrine is a propitious occasion on which to avail of the Sacrament of Penance.
• Celebration of the Eucharist: The celebration of the Eucharist is the climax and pivot of all pastoral activity in shrines.
• Anointing of the Sick: (Offer)… the communal celebration of the Anointing of the Sick, especially on the occasion of a pilgrimage to a shrine…
3. Other amenities and services: from earliest times, the Church is familiar with the practice of blessing people, places, food, and sacramental objects (crucifixes, medals, statues, and other religious objects.
B. Shrines are:
1. Places of Evangelization: many shrines are effective places for the proclamation of the Gospel and offering retreat days and weekends and other special religious programs.
2. Charitable Centers: the exemplary role of shrines is also expressed through charity. …It finds concrete expression in hospitality and mercy, solidarity and sharing, assistance and giving.
• in the creation and development of permanent centers of social assistance such as hospitals, educational institutions for needy children, and in the provision of homes for the aged;
• in the hospitality extended to pilgrims, especially the poor, to whom the opportunity for rest and shelter should be offered, in so far as possible;
• in the solicitude shown to the old, the sick (and those with developmental disabilities)
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| Spanish pilgrimage at La Salette Shrine in Attleboro, MA. |
3. The Shrine as Cultural Center: shrines are often of cultural or heritage significance in themselves. They synthesize numerous expressions of popular culture: historical and artistic monuments, particular linguistic and literary forms, or even musical compositions.
4. Ecumenical Commitment: the shrine is called to be a place of ecumenical commitment, fully aware of the grave and urgent need for the unity of those who believe in Christ, the one Lord and Savior. In certain circumstances, … attention may be given to persons of different religions: some shrines, indeed, are visited by non-Christians who go there because of the values inherent in Christianity.
Many La Salette Shrines But One Central Focus
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| Image of Our Lady of La Salette from La Salette rectory of St. Joseph’s Church, Waipahu, Hawaii |
Lastly our many La Salette Shrines around the world do have their own unique offerings and attempt to meet the need of those pilgrims who come daily, weekly or yearly to benefit from the ministry and programs offered at that Shrine. All our Shrines offer the opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, to receive materials on the La Salette event and message and personally meet the La Salettes who serve at the Shrine.
Yet as La Salette Shrines, our charism of reconciliation is always primary in the minds of those who minister at our Shrines. However, it is interesting to note that, although the La Salettes may offer an explanation and interpretation of the La Salette message, it is most important that all pilgrims listen to or read the message of Mary for themselves and hear in their heart what God is saying to them. Perhaps that is one example of what Mary meant about making her message known to all her people; that is, giving people a chance to reflect on Mary’s words and apply them to their own life and circumstances.
Candlelight Procession on the Holy Mountain in France.