Our Lady of Good Health Velankanni

Holy Mother of Good Health - Velankanni

The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health (Velankanni Matha Church ), also known as Sanctuary of Our Lady of Vailankanni, is a Marian shrine located at the small town of Velankanni in Tamil Nadu, South India. The Roman Catholic Latin Rite Basilica is dedicated to Our Lady of Good Health. Devotion to Our Lady of Good Health of Velankanni can be traced back to the mid-16th century, and is attributed to three separate miracles at the sites surrounding the Basilica: The apparition of Blessed Mary and the Christ Child to a slumbering shepherd boy, the healing of a handicapped buttermilk vendor, and the rescue of Portuguese sailors from a deadly sea storm. These accounts are mere oral lore with no written record or attested sources to support them.

Basilica for Our Lady of Good Health Velankanni 

Flag Pole of Our Lady of Good Health Velankanni 

Initially, only a simple and modest chapel was built by the Portuguese sailors who washed ashore safely. More than 500 years later, the nine-day festival and celebration is still observed and draws nearly 5 million pilgrims each year. The Shrine of Our Lady of Vailankanni is also known as "the Lourdes of the East" because it is one of the most frequented pilgrimage centres in India.

History

The first Marian apparition is said to have occurred in May 1570, when a local shepherd boy was delivering milk to a nearby house. Along the way he met a beautiful woman holding a child, who asked for some milk for the little one. After giving her the milk, he continued on his way, and upon making the delivery discovered that the jug was now completely full of fresh, cool milk. A small shrine was built near the site where the boy encountered the woman, a location that came to be called Matha Kulam, which means Our Lady’s Pool.

The second Marian apparition is said to have happened in 1597, not far from Matha Kulam. A beautiful woman with a young boy in her arms appeared to a young crippled boy selling buttermilk. The little boy asked for some buttermilk, and after he drank it, the woman asked the boy selling buttermilk to visit a gentleman in the next town and ask him to build a chapel in her honor at that location. The boy set out quickly and realized that he was no longer lame. A small thatched chapel was quickly built in honor of Our Lady of Health, called in Tamil “Arokia Matha”.

The third incident occurred when a Portuguese ship sailing from Macao to Sri Lanka was caught in a storm in the Bay of Bengal. They invoked the help of the Blessed Virgin under her title "Star of the Sea". The storm subsided and the 150 men on board were saved. It was September 8, the Feast of the Nativity of Mary. In thanksgiving, the sailors rebuilt the Shrine to Our Lady of Good Health, and continued to enhance it whenever their voyages brought them to the area.

The shrine that started as a thatched chapel in the mid-sixteenth century became a parish church in 1771 when Catholics in India were under persecution from the Dutch. Later in 1962 it was granted a Special status of a Minor Basilica by Pope John XXIII.

The shrine of Vailankanni was elevated to the status of 'Minor Basilica' and merged with the Major Basilica of Mary (Mary majore) in Rome on 3 November 1962 by Pope John XXIII.

Significance and Pilgrimage

For Goan and Konkani people, she is called "Shantadurga" (most compassionate one). This especially includes use of Kotimaram, which has been described as an extended influence of Hinduism on Catholicism, thus making the Basilica a meeting point of two of the major religions of the world.

Being a Roman Catholic Marian church, it is dedicated to Our Lady of Good Health. Virgin Mary is depicted wearing a sari. The usual time for pilgrimage is during the annual festival between August 29 to September 6 and Christmas. Some pilgrims, instead of using a mode of transport, perform "walking pilgrimages" to it. They attend mass, novenas, flag-hoisting and carry a palkhi of Mary in a procession. A major event is the procession, where only women are allowed to pull the first car and a statue of Mary is in the last and most decorated one. People of other religions also take part. The pilgrims sometimes shave their heads as an offering and perform ear-piercing ceremonies, both being Hindu traditions. Another ritual considered sacred is dipping oneself in the pond. There is a holy flag which is lowered to signal the end of the festival.

Due to the number of pilgrim visits during festival season, the Indian Railways introduced special train services to the town of Velankanni.

Architecture

The Basilica is built in the Gothic style of architecture. The southern side was extended in 1928 and the northern in 1933. The Shrine Basilica contains three chapels, as well as Our Lady's Tank, Church Museum, Priests' Residence, Offering Center, Stations of the Cross, Stations of the Rosary, Shrine Mega Mahal and Vailankanni Beach. The building is painted in white, except for the roof that is made of red tiles.

The early part of the 20th century marked rivalry between Jesuits and Franciscans regarding their influence on missionary work in Velankanni. In 1928, the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (managed by the Jesuits) was demolished and the statues were brought to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Health; in 1933 the Shrine was expanded with two new wings, to the right and to the left of the 'Main Altar', meeting the nave at right angles.

A spacious vestry was provided immediately behind the altar. Thus the entire sacred edifice began to assume the shape of a Latin Cross. Right over the center of the ancient main altar was the miraculous image of Our Lady of Good Health.

Velankanni Matha Pond

In 1956, a new welcome arch was blessed and opened by Bishop Sundaram. The illuminated arch stood to show the way to eager pilgrims who sought the protection of Mary. In January 1961, a new central altar, executed in white marble, replaced the former one made of cement concrete. In 1974-75, an extension of the basilica was built behind the existing central altar to accommodate the multilingual pilgrims. The extension included a two-storied church with 93 feet (28 m) high dome and 82 feet (25 m) high gothic spirals. It was designed to resemble the Basilica in Lourdes, France.

Layout of the Basilica complex

Basilica Layout

1. Basilica
2. Nadu Thittu shrine, site of second apparition.
3. Adoration & Reconciliation chapel.
4. Our Lady's Pond, site of first apparition.
5. Stations of the cross.
6. Stations of the Rosary.
7. Stations of the Sacraments

Feast day

September 8, the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, is also commemorated as the feast of Our Lady of Good Health. The celebration starts on 29 August and ends on the day of the feast.The feast day prayers are said in Tamil, Marathi, East Indian, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, Konkani, Hindi and English.

List Parish priests

• 1771 Sep. Fr. António do Rosário
• 1774 Aug. Fr. José de Santa Rosa de Viterbo
• 1777 Jul. Fr. António do Rosário, Commissary
• 1779 Sep. Fr. Luís dos Remédios
• 1783 Jan. Fr. António do Rosário, Commissary
• 1788 Dec. Fr. António de Jesus Maria José
• 1789 Sep. Fr. António do Rosário, Commissary
• 1792 Sep. Fr. José de Santa Rosa de Viterbo, Commissary & V. F.
• 1814 May Fr. Constaantino de Jesus Maria, Commissary
• 1819 May Fr. Tomás da Piedade
• 1822 Feb. Fr. Francisco Xavier Mascarenhas
• 1822 Aug. Fr. Francisco das Dores
• 1824 May. Fr. Felipe de Jesus
• 1825 Sep. Fr. Francisco Dos Dores
• 1828 Jun. Fr. Felipe de Jesus
• 1829 May Fr. Clemente das Dores
• 1847 Oct. Fr. Isidoro Manuel Alemão
• 1858 Apr. Fr. José Felix Fernandes, AG.PP
• 1863 Nov. Fr. Felipe de Nery Joaquim Dias
• 1876 May Fr. Inácio António de Andrade
• 1886 Aug. Fr. Miguel Francisco Fernandes
• 1890 Dec. Fr. Joaquim José, Ag. P. Vic. Nagapattinam
• 1891 Feb. Fr. Guilherme José Dias
• 1892 Dec. Fr. Joaquim José Luís, Ag. P. Vic. Nagapattinam
• 1893 Mar. Fr. Martinho Valeriano de Sá
• 1899 Sep. Fr. Joaquim Francisco da Piedade Dias
• 1900 Aug. Fr. Camilo Fernandes
• 1910 Jun. to 1942 Fr. Sebastião Xavier de Noronha
• 1942 Sep. to 1963 Fr. M. V. Rodrigues
• 1963 Jun. to 1980 Fr. S. Maria Soosai
• 1980 Sep. to 1982 Fr. Tomás Vaz
• 1982 Sep. to 1990 Fr. S. L. Gabriel
• 1990 May to 1997 Fr. M.M. Sammanasu
• 1997 Jun. to 2003 Fr. G. Arul Iruthayam
• 2003 Jun. to 2009 Fr. P. Xavier
• 2009 Jun. to 2015 Fr. A. Michael
• 2015 Jun. to till date Fr.A.M.A.Prabakar

Pilgrims walking on their knees towards the Pond

Mass Timings of Basilica

Mass Timings during weekdays (Monday to Friday)

Morning Prayer in Velankanni Main Shrine: 05:40 AM
Mass (in Tamil) in Velankanni Main Shrine: 06:00 AM
Mass (in Tamil) in Velankanni Lower Basilica: 07:00 AM
Mass (in Telugu) in Velankanni Upper Basilica: 08:00 AM
Mass (in Malayalam) in Velankanni Lower Basilica: 09:00 AM
Mass (in English) in Velankanni Lower Basilica: 10:00 AM
Mass (in Hindi) in Velankanni Upper Basilica: 11:00 AM
Mass (in Tamil) in Velankanni Lower Basilica: 12:00 PM
Rosary and Litany (in Tamil) followed by Mass in Tamil in the Velankanni Lower Basilica: 06:00 PM
 
Mass Timings on all Sundays

Mass (in Tamil) for Parishioners of Velankanni in Velankanni Lower Basilica: 05:00 AM
Mass (in Tamil) in Velankanni Lower Basilica: 07:30 AM
Rosary, Novena Prayer, Benediction and Mass (in Tamil) in Lower Basilica: 06:00 PM

Mass Timings on all Saturdays

Car Procession of Our Lady of Health around the Shrine Benediction and Mass (in Tamil) in Velankanni Lower Basilica: 05:45 AM
Mass (in Tamil) at Our Lady's Tank Chapel: 07:00 AM

Mass Timings on first Friday

Mass (in Tamil) Eucharistic Procession around the Shrine Sermon and Benediction from the front view of the Velankanni Upper Basilica: 07:00 AM

Mass Timings on first Saturday

Car Procession of Our Lady of Health thought the Beach Road. Blessing of the Sick with the Blessed Sacrament Benediction and Mass (in Tamil) in the Lower Basilica: 05:30 PM
A Three-Hour Adoration to the Blessed Sacrament in the Velankanni Main Shrine: 09:00 PM

Mass Timings on second Saturday

A Healing and Fasting Prayer Service at Velanakanni Retreat House: 09:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Mass Timings on Third Saturday

One Hour Intercessory Prayer Service at Our Lady's Tank Chapel after 7:00 AM Mass

Mass Timings on Fourth Saturday

Mass (in Tamil) at Naduththitu Chapel: 06:30 AM
Children's Evangelization Programme in front of Presbytery: 08:00 PM

Contact

Contact Address:

Very Rev. Fr. P. Xavier
Rector
Shrine Basilica
Vailankanni 611 111
Nagapattinam District
Tamilnadu, INDIA

04365 : 263 530 (Father's personal)
04365 : 263 517 (Father's Fax)
04365 : 263 423 (Shrine Number)

For Accommodation:

04365 : 264 890 (Ask them to direct you to the Room booking place)
04365 : 263 421