04:41Thousands of devotees flocked to the Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Health Velankanni to pray and participate in a chariot procession as part of the annual Our Lady of Health festival on Saturday.
Footage shows pilgrims gathering at the shrine, queuing there to receive blessings from a priest, as well as praying and crawling on knees towards basilica and following a chariot procession in the evening.
"If you come and pray here to Mother Mary, you will get so much in life. You get peace of mind and everything. Whatever you pray to Mother Mary, she gives it to you," stated Jonita, a pilgrim, remarking that people should pray from their hearts, focusing on Mother Mary," pilgrim Jonita said.
She continued: "If someone is sick or has a problem, they pray to Mother Mary, and she blesses them with wealth and health," adding that pilgrims come to Velankanni because they "feel blessed and experience the power of Mary when their wishes are fulfilled."
"When I come here, I feel so good. I get peace of mind, and I like it a lot. We walk for 10 days. We eat food. But we don't get tired. We feel relaxed," shared Jonita, noting that 'the Divine Power of Mother Mary and Miracle of Mother Mary is a special feeling'.
Our Lady of Health festival is an 11-day annual event celebrated from August 29 to September 8, attracting over a million believers, including non-Christians, to participate and witness mass religious gatherings.
The final day of the festival, September 8, marks the Nativity of Mary, or Our Lady of Good Health, and celebrates the safe landing of the Portuguese sailors at the Velankanni Port, who later established the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, or the original shrine of Mother Mary in Velankanni, in the 16th century.
'You get peace of mind and everything' – Thousands participate in 11-day festival celebrating Nativity of Mary in Velankanni
Thousands of devotees flocked to the Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Health Velankanni to pray and participate in a chariot procession as part of the annual Our Lady of Health festival on Saturday.
Footage shows pilgrims gathering at the shrine, queuing there to receive blessings from a priest, as well as praying and crawling on knees towards basilica and following a chariot procession in the evening.
"If you come and pray here to Mother Mary, you will get so much in life. You get peace of mind and everything. Whatever you pray to Mother Mary, she gives it to you," stated Jonita, a pilgrim, remarking that people should pray from their hearts, focusing on Mother Mary," pilgrim Jonita said.
She continued: "If someone is sick or has a problem, they pray to Mother Mary, and she blesses them with wealth and health," adding that pilgrims come to Velankanni because they "feel blessed and experience the power of Mary when their wishes are fulfilled."
"When I come here, I feel so good. I get peace of mind, and I like it a lot. We walk for 10 days. We eat food. But we don't get tired. We feel relaxed," shared Jonita, noting that 'the Divine Power of Mother Mary and Miracle of Mother Mary is a special feeling'.
Our Lady of Health festival is an 11-day annual event celebrated from August 29 to September 8, attracting over a million believers, including non-Christians, to participate and witness mass religious gatherings.
The final day of the festival, September 8, marks the Nativity of Mary, or Our Lady of Good Health, and celebrates the safe landing of the Portuguese sailors at the Velankanni Port, who later established the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, or the original shrine of Mother Mary in Velankanni, in the 16th century.
Thousands of devotees flocked to the Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Health Velankanni to pray and participate in a chariot procession as part of the annual Our Lady of Health festival on Saturday.
Footage shows pilgrims gathering at the shrine, queuing there to receive blessings from a priest, as well as praying and crawling on knees towards basilica and following a chariot procession in the evening.
"If you come and pray here to Mother Mary, you will get so much in life. You get peace of mind and everything. Whatever you pray to Mother Mary, she gives it to you," stated Jonita, a pilgrim, remarking that people should pray from their hearts, focusing on Mother Mary," pilgrim Jonita said.
She continued: "If someone is sick or has a problem, they pray to Mother Mary, and she blesses them with wealth and health," adding that pilgrims come to Velankanni because they "feel blessed and experience the power of Mary when their wishes are fulfilled."
"When I come here, I feel so good. I get peace of mind, and I like it a lot. We walk for 10 days. We eat food. But we don't get tired. We feel relaxed," shared Jonita, noting that 'the Divine Power of Mother Mary and Miracle of Mother Mary is a special feeling'.
Our Lady of Health festival is an 11-day annual event celebrated from August 29 to September 8, attracting over a million believers, including non-Christians, to participate and witness mass religious gatherings.
The final day of the festival, September 8, marks the Nativity of Mary, or Our Lady of Good Health, and celebrates the safe landing of the Portuguese sailors at the Velankanni Port, who later established the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, or the original shrine of Mother Mary in Velankanni, in the 16th century.