The Vailankanni Oratory at the National Shrine, Washington D.C. is a place of Reverence for meditation and quiet prayer to Our Lady of Good Health. This Oratory is a symbol of the great love and devotion of the immigrant catholic Indian community to the Mother.
A bronze plaque containing the equivalent of ‘Ave Maria’ in the Indian languages found on the 500 rupees note of India, and the languages of Sri Lanka and Pakistan : Bengali, Assamese, Marathi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Hindi, Oriya, Gujarathi, Rajasthani, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Urdu, Nepali and Singhalese will adorn one wall of the Oratory. An information plaque regarding the statue and the three miracles is displayed on the wall so that all visitors to the Oratory will leave with a good knowledge of the rich history behind this miraculous statue.
About 6 million pilgrims and tourists visit the Basilica every year. This is a singular location to educate them about our faith and the antiquity of Christianity in India. The significance of this location is indeed far reaching and this Oratory will stand out as a pillar in the establishment of our faith in Jesus Christ in USA. The prayers, Novenas, Rosaries, and Masses said at this shrine in regular intervals will certainly nourish and prosper our spiritual health.
The picture shows an urn that was blessed at Vailankanni in 1996 by the Archbishop.
Click here to learn more about the Velankanni Shrine in India