I am so happy to have come and participated in the festive Eucharistic celebration at Our Lady Periyanayagi Shrine, Konankuppam. I also express my sincere gratitude to His Eminence Anthony Cardinal Poola for his visit to our Archdiocese and for having granted us the blessings of the Lord through the celebration of the Eucharist.
Firstly, on my way to the Shrine, I saw you all – the devotees of Our Lady Periyanayagi – walking and reciting rosary on your pilgrimage to the Shrine very devotedly and prayerfully. I, too, wanted to walk along with you all as a co-pilgrim; however, due to the time constraint, I couldn’t. Nevertheless, now I pray to Our Lady, that if possible and God is willing, I will walk as a pilgrim and come to the Shrine next year.
Secondly, as a school student, I have read and studied about Veeramamunivar (Fr. Joseph Constantine Beschi). Then, I completely forgot about him and now, I consider it a great blessing and privilege that I could come and work in the same place where the great missionary worked. I am happy and thank the Lord for it. Since he worked here for many years and built this Shrine in our Archdiocese, it is our duty that we start working for the cause of sainthood to Veeramamunivar.
A month back, a Jesuit priest and a French lay person met me and said they had begun their work for the cause of sainthood to Veeramamuniar and, in that regard, would be going to Ambalakadu, Kerala – where Veeramamunivar is believed to have been buried – in search of his mortal remains.
Today, I assure you that the Archdiocese of Pondicherry-Cuddalore will fully render its support in making sure that Veeramamunivar be declared a saint by the Church.
Thirdly, as Fr. Devasagayaraj has rightly pointed out on the great occasion of the inauguration of the bicentennial celebration of the belfry of the Shrine, we all – both the consecrated and the lay – must work together in making this 300-year old Shrine a Minor Basilica.
In this regard, we should start writing more about Konankuppam Our Lady Periyanayagi and the miracles that happen here such that, upon receiving them, the Church may declare this Shrine a Minor Basilica. Hence, we all should together dream of and do our best in making this place a Minor Basilica wherein Veeramamunivar also is a saint. How great and wonderful that would be!
The Shrine would, thus, become a place of people living together in peace and harmony irrespective of their social and religious differences. As we have installed the statue of ‘Queen of Peace’, we pray that may Our Lady help us live together as one family and as children of God. I thank all of you, especially Fr. Devasagayaraj, for giving me this opportunity. God bless you.