Our Lady of Good Health

Did we ever hear of Our Lady of Good Health? I’ve never heard an American church teach of Our Lady of Good Health, but India has. The Basilica of Good Health is in India and is where three appearances of Mary took place. It has been nicknames “The Lourdes of the East”.

She is also known as Our Lady of Vailankanni, which is where she appeared twice.

The first appearance of Mary was to a young boy many years ago. He was on his way to deliver some buttermilk and stopped to rest under a Banyon tree. Mary appeared and asked for some buttermilk for Jesus and the boy gave it to her. When he arrived at the house of his customer he apologized for not having any buttermilk, but when he opened his container, it was full.

During Mary’s second appearance, She asked a young boy for a cup of buttermilk for her Jesus, which he of course, gave Her. He was a lame boy and had no customers. Mary cured him and asked him to go to Nagapattinam and ask a certain Catholic man there to build a chapel in Vailankanni. Cured, he ran all the way there 🙂

The third appearance of Mary was to a group of Portuguese sailors who were caught is a horrible storm and prayed to Mary, the Star of the Sea, to save them. They promised to build a church in Her honor, and they did. When they arrived home, they rebuilt the first chapel, which had a thatched roof, into a stone church.

One might wonder why these miracles, which happened in India, matter so much to us in America. It’s because they are filled with hope. Anyone can be healed or lifted up anywhere. If Mary is not limited by time nor place, neither is God!

There is a second reason that it matters so. There is a tendency in America and Europe for us to think that we know more than others. This is not true. We also sometimes think that the meaning of the Bible is determined solely by us. This is also not true. We can always learn from our Sisters and Brothers in Christ.

Follow Jesus & Keep Praying; Prayer Changes Things!

Pictures of Mary’s Basilica, please copy and paste this link: https://www.vailankannishrine.net/feedback/Church_Photos