Prayers Answered
July 20th, 2008
Yesterday I was in the Centovalli (”Hundred Valleys”, aka Valle Vigezzo to the Italians) which is in the border area of Switzerland and Italy. It’s a spectacular mountainous area with deep river gorges. You could either drive/bike or take the scenic train from Locarno in Switzerland or Domodossola in Italy.
One of the stops on the Italian side of the border is the village of Re where in 1494 a fresco of Madonna and Child started bleeding after it was struck by a stone. Since then it has been a focus of pilgrims with a celebration taking place every year from the 29th of April to the 1st of May, with a pilgrimage on foot from Domodossola. In 1894, on the 400th anniversary a new church was built to house the fresco.
The pilgrims leave behind tokens of their appreciation for prayers granted, including many pictures of children and loved ones. This brought back some childhood memories – in Bukit Mertajam, Malaysia, St. Anne’s Church is the focus for an annual pilgrimage. No miracles are attributed to this church but over the years it has gained the reputation for prayers being successfully answered.
When I was 7 years old my mother suffered a miscarriage and my grandmother took me to St Anne’s during that year’s pilgrimage – she said I should pray for my mother so that her next pregnancy would be successful. The next year my brother Gregory Amos was born – that’s him with mum and I in the picture below, taken by my dad with his Olympus OM-1. Amos was married last year to Callie and they’re now in the process of moving into their new home.
I don’t pray much anymore but I am thankful for the good things in life.
Posted in Personal
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