South India has an impressive Catholic history. It dates back to the communities that St. Thomas the Apostle founded when he reached the present state of Kerala in 52 AD. Steeped in their faith for generations, Catholics lived their beliefs visibly with statues, images, and shrines of the Blessed Mother, Infant Jesus, and Sacred Heart dotting the landscape.
Our Blessed Mother rewarded their faith, appearing first in spring of 335 AD and twice in the 16th century. In her two latter appearances, Mary was carrying her Son, and both times she came to a young boy and asked him for milk for her Child. In her second appearance, Mary also asked a young, crippled boy to tell one of the men to build a shrine on that spot in her honor. Surprisingly, the boy miraculously jumped up and delivered her message. Recognizing the miracle, the man built a small wooden structure as she requested.
Approximately fifty years later, a Portuguese ship was in the Bay of Bengal when a fierce storm hit. The sailors prayed to the Blessed Mother for protection and promised they would build a chapel if she saved them. The storm ceased, and the ship landed at a shore near Vailankanni. When the sailors disembarked, they found the wooden structure, and constructed a beautiful stone chapel in its place. The people in Kerala have flocked to Mary’s shrine in Vailankanni, Our Lady of Good Health, ever since.
Interestingly, Vailankanni is the only known apparition where Mary requested milk for her Child. As the young boys eagerly responded by giving her their buckets of milk, Mary returned God’s divine graces to that spot and to everyone who humbly prays for her assistance. Jose Thomas can attest to that.
Jose and his family began coming to the Shrine eight years ago when their newborn son, Immanuel, was admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. While in the hospital, one of the nurses blessed the baby with a Miraculous Medal. That simple act prompted the family to visit the Shrine. Raised in deeply religious homes, Jose and his wife knew the power of the Blessed Mother, so they began attending the Monday Novenas regularly and pleading for Mary’s intercession.
One afternoon, Jose saw a sign in the Lower Shrine asking for financial assistance in completing the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Health Vailankanni. He immediately promised the Blessed Virgin to help bring that ancient Indian devotion to American soil.
He contacted the Shrine to see how much money was needed to finish the project, and then reached out to his friends, family, and fellow parishioners. Each and every one of them responded—with greater contributions than Jose had requested. There were minor setbacks, but he persevered in his mission and invoked the assistance of Fr. John Melepuram, a great Marian devotee and then Vicar of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Forane Church in Northeast Philadelphia.
Through the tremendous contributions of the entire Indian community, a statue was made in India and shipped to the Shrine in Philadelphia; a special niche was built to house it; and a Solemn Mass of Inauguration and Rosary Procession were held. Approximately 800 people from the tri-state area attended. And within two years, Immanuel, who had severe heart issues and needed a transplant, had been miraculously healed. The doctors were stunned and called it an “act of God.” But Jose and his wife weren’t surprised. “Our devotion to the Blessed Mother has only become stronger,” he states. He is not alone in that sentiment.