Our Lady of Sorrows
By Lydia O’Kane
Sep 15 2021
On the final day of his Apostolic Journey to Slovakia, Pope Francis pays a visit to the town of Šaštín which is known as a pilgrimage site where people come to venerate the statue of the Our Lady of Sorrows.
During the Sunday Angelus on 5 September, Pope Francis reminded the faithful that he would be making a pilgrimage the following week to Budapest and Slovakia. In particular, he noted that the visit would conclude “with the great popular celebration of Our Lady of Sorrows, Patron saint of that country.” (Slovakia)
The Pope is known for his ardent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and makes a trip both before and after an Apostolic Visit to the Basilica of St Mary Major in Rome to pray before the icon of Our Lady under the title Salus Populi Romani.
History of the Shrine
The origins of the Shine of Our Lady of Sorrows at Šaštín dates back many centuries: to the year 1564 to be exact.
At that time, there was a local aristocrat who constantly behaved badly towards his wife. The wife, a woman named Countess Angelika Bakič, had prayed to Our Lady for years so that her husband would change his ways.
One day her husband got into an argument with her while riding in their carriage and pushed her out on to the road.
That same day she made a promise to have a statue erected to the Virgin Mary if her husband would change his behaviour.
From that day on, he came back for her, changed his behavior, and asked her forgiveness.
The statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was then built on the side of the road where the countess had been pushed out. The spot became a popular place of pilgrimage and soon a small chapel was built there.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows in Šaštín is one of the places where the Virgin Mary of Seven Sorrows in Slovakia is venerated. The church was consecrated in the presence of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband Emperor Francis I Stephen of Lorraine. The national shrine was promoted to a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI in 1964.
Miroslav Janak is Media Manager at the Shrine for the Pope’s visit, and says that there are “many stories, experiences and personal miracles achieved after visiting this place dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows.”
Pilgrims
Pilgrimages to the Shrine draw tens of thousands of people every year. “There are around 200 domestic pilgrimages to the Shrine at Šaštín and around 40 foreign pilgrimages to the shine every year. We have pilgrimage groups from Spain, even from Mexico in 2019. Altogether there are almost 200,000 pilgrims a year,” says Mr Janak.
Papal visit
Speaking about the Papal visit, the Media Manager says that it is a “great honour” to have Pope Francis come to Slovakia and visit the Shrine, which, he adds, is something that happens “once in a generation”.
However, he underlines that this Apostolic Visit comes amid “difficult times” for Slovakia.
“Slovakia is a wonderful country; it has all the conditions for a good life; if there would be Jesus visiting Slovakia today, he would not find a united nation.”
Facing the last two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, he emphasizes, has left the country polarized and divided by issues such as anti-vaccination campaigns. “Some people say he (the Pope) can bring us to peace. Well I would say let’s hope he can bring peace to us.”
Mr Janak notes that due to the current situation in the country, many people “are praying for guidance and they are praying that Our Lady can make us united. “
“I think this is a unique connection, this visit of the Pope and the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (15th September) and it connects the idea of being able to accept the help of Our Lady,” he says.
Preparations
Asked about preparations for the Pope’s visit, Mr Janak says that there are many people preparing to visit the shrine, and there are a great number of volunteers giving of their time.
He says the preparations have been running smoothly and the numbers of volunteers in Šaštín alone stand at 1,500, adding that he believes the visit “will be a wonderful moment, not only for Slovakia, but for all the people watching it and all the people of good will.”
The Media Manager is also keen to point out that it is important that people prepare personally for the Pope’s visit, as if he was coming to their home, “Let’s just prepare, not just technically, not just professionally, let’s prepare also personally because it is probably the most important thing.” -Vatican News
