It has been more than a month since St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church in Rama held its 76th Annual Pilgrimage at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes with over 1000 people attending during the two-day event of August 14-15 in celebration of the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and commemorating the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of the blessed Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal and many visitors still keep coming. It makes one wonder when there are almost 100 entries of signatures from not only Canada but also USA in the guest book, what attracts so many visitors? Many come to meditate, some to pray and ask for The Blessed Virgin Mary to intercede, some come for the sake of curiosity and some come to simply explore this amazing place that is to be found in the small Village of Rama.
It was through the inspiration of Rev. Anthony Sylla, OMI, that a small hill was chosen adjacent to the church as the site for a grotto to be built of fieldstones when the Second World War broke out in September 1939. Rev. Sylla simply felt that there was a great need to pray for peace in the world! Thousands of fieldstones were hauled by parishioners in wagonloads, washed and blessed by Rev. Sylla before setting them in the perfect spots. Rev. Sylla, being an architect, designed it to be a replica of Our Lady Of Lourdes Shrine in France, thus it was named Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine.
So many things have been added since 1941, the year that the first pilgrimage took place, that now it has become a unique attraction. The fountain, the Stations of the Cross, the statues- including the statues from Italy of St. Gianna Beretta Molla with children, Rev. Anthony Sylla OMI, and very recently this summer, the statues of St. John Paul II and St. Mother Teresa are all very worthwhile pieces of art that amaze so many visitors.
Furthermore, many wish to venerate the relic of St. John Paul II (a drop of his blood) that was received from his private secretary, Cardinal Stanislaus Dziwicz from Krakow, Poland.
Many tourists are seen taking photos of the images on the wall of the parish hall depicting "The Life of Mary" and the "Ten Commandments".
St. Anthony's is indeed a great attraction and there is no wonder why many still keep coming!
Mary Kowalyshen
Rama
