The shrine where Giovanni Cigana prayed .
The journey begins in Motta di Livenza, a small town in northeastern Italy, where I was born. It is known for its basilica, a Sanctuary to Mary (Santuario della Madonna dei Miracoli) built in 1513 on the site where Giovanni Cigana, a pious man, recited the rosary every day in front of a wayside shrine at a cross road on his way to work in the fields.
On March 9, 1510, Giovanni saw a beautiful young woman dressed in white sitting in the field. She asked him to tell the villagers to do penitence and to pray to obtain God’s forgiveness; she also told him she wanted a church built where she appeared and that she would send a sign that everyone could see in the evening to confirm her appearance. There had been a plague epidemic in the area and people complied; many received blessings and miraculous healings which the religious authorities declared legitimate.
My mother was a devout Catholic; like Giovanni Cigana, she recited the rosary every day. When the family moved to France, after WWII, she brought with her a framed picture of the beautiful sculpture exhibited in the crypt of the Sanctuary. She hung it in her bedroom and I remember it in the kitchen as well. Moving to France with a family of six children, and not speaking French, was quite an adjustment, even for a courageous woman like her. Her faith gave her strength and she was cheerful.
The Madonna of the crypt, which my mother took to France, here in the parking of the Sanctuary
Many years ago, I went back to my birthplace together with my parents; since then, they passed away. More recently, in April 2019, I returned to the area, to hear the dialect and walk in the countryside where they had lived. On Easter Sunday I went to the Sanctuary, Santuario Madonna dei Miracoli; after the service, I went down to the crypt to see the Madonna of the picture hanging in my childhood home. She was beautiful! I lit a candle and prayed. In the passage to the garden, messages of gratitude to Mary and photos of the families who received Her blessings were displayed. As a child I had seen such messages and photos in “La Voce di Maria” (The Voice of Mary), a newsletter my mother subscribed to.
Map of my walk in the country
Easter Day at the Sanctuary
Gratitude to the Madonna
My emotion during the visit to the Sanctuary last year was linked to the memory of my parents, particularly my mother who worshipped Mary; to day, I am intrigued by the sign She gave the night of the apparition. Brother John Francesco Lim[1]describes it in these words: ‘Around sunset of that same day, March 9th, 1510, the sun, after having been hidden by the clouds for an hour, appeared of such a vivid red that it seemed to come out of a blood bath.
[1] https://immaculate.one/la-madonna-del-giorno-9-marzo-1510-madonna-dei-miracoli-apparizione-di-motta-di-livenza-venezia-italia#.X8wKJy9h22s
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