Barcelona, Spain, Sep 7, 2010 / 09:54 am
The Archbishop of Barcelona, Cardinal Lluis Martinez Sistach, encouraged the Spanish faithful this week to turn to the intercession of Mary in the difficulties of daily life, especially by visiting Marian shrines. He noted that these shrines are not tokens of the past, but are places filled with life.
In a letter to mark the Birth of Mary on September 8, the cardinal wrote that Marian shrines are also places of evangelization, as they are often visited by non-believers.
“These Marian shrines are not only vestiges of the past, they are filled with life. People visit them because they have a sense that they are a spiritual reality that belongs very much to them, as they belonged to their ancestors, their grandparents and parents.”
He continued, “Christians visit these sacred places and celebrate their faith and the most important events of their Christian lives there.”