Marian devotion
Where is he?
The shrine of Our Lady of Liberation is located in Issia, in the region of Haut-Sassandra, in the central-western Ivory Coast. The Community of Beatitudes describes it as one of the city's characteristic places, located next to the great rock that dominates Issia. The community has been commissioned to attend to it since 1992 from the diocese.
The map uses the village node of Issia identified by OpenStreetMap (1599890269), at coordinates 6.4878, − 6.5888. The precision is locality: the cartographic source locates Issia, but does not allow to state that that point is the exact GPS of the hill, statue or altar. An approximate coordinate as if it were inside the sanctuary has not been moved to the tab.
Documented history
The Community of Beatitudes indicates that the sanctuary was founded by the Catholic Church in 1990 and that the diocese entrusted its management to the community in 1992. Since then, the place has hosted pilgrims, one-day spiritual days and the ordinary pastoral life of those who come to pray. These dates and activities describe the institutional history of the sanctuary; they do not themselves prove any supernatural apparition or healing.
A story published by La Cotellerie retains the testimony of the priest who was a priest of Issia. He says that, after participating in a co-existence for priests in Lourdes in 1984, he felt the desire to place a statue of the Virgin on the hill that dominates the city. By communicating it to Mons. Pierre-Marie Coty, bishop of Daloa, discovered that the bishop had long been looking for a hill for a diocesan Marian sanctuary. According to the same account, they both went up to the hill and the bishop decided that there would be the sanctuary.
The name was chosen later. The priest had first thought of Our Lady of Lourdes, but in praying he opened the Bible in chapter 12 of Zechariah and read the passage on the spirit of goodness and supplication. From this process was born the title Our Lady of Liberation, which the bishop confirmed for the sanctuary. The source presents it as a spiritual memory of the origin of the name, not as the apparition of Mary or as a decree on a supernatural phenomenon.
Tradition
The devotional tradition of Issia understands Mary as a mother who leads to Christ and as an intercessor in the needs of people and the community. The pilgrimages, the days of prayer and the pastoral care of the Community of Beatitudes are part of the life of the sanctuary documented by its leaders. Venerating Mary does not amount to worshipping her: worship is addressed only to God.
The title "of Liberation" can be read on the biblical horizon of Christian supplication and hope. This title should not be turned into an automatic promise of healing, political liberation or extraordinary intervention. Each request is entrusted to God through the intercession of Mary.
Legend
Around the sanctuary there are stories about a source, thanks received and possible healing. The sources consulted present them as testimonies or devotional tradition, not as recognized miracles. Nor does there exist a public pronunciation that autorizes an apparition of the Virgin in Issia. This fact sheet therefore retains the character of a documented sanctuary and cult, but leaves the supernatural phenomenon as no pronunciado.
Ecclesial State
The state indicated is permitted venerationThere is a Catholic sanctuary entrusted by the diocese to a religious community and open to pilgrims. As for the extraordinary statements associated with the place, there is no ecclesial declaration that approves them as supernatural. The condition of sanctuary is not an automatic approval of apparitions, messages, prophecies or miracles.
Anecdotes and stories
The history of the name retains a significant detail: the title was not born from a later campaign, but from the search for the priest and the dialogue with his bishop on the hill of Issia itself. The Community of Beatitudes also describes a continued presence of reception and spiritual days since it received pastoral responsibility. They are made from the life of the sanctuary, safer than any legendary explanation of the origin of a source.
Prayer
Holy Mary, Our Lady of Liberation, intercedes before God for Issia, for Ivory Coast, for pilgrims and for those who live oppressed by disease, poverty, violence or loneliness. Take us to Christ, the source of all true freedom, and teach us to serve our brothers. Amen.
Sources
- Community of Beatitudes, "Sanctuary Our Lady of Deliverance - Issia" (HTTP 200).
- The Cotellerie, account of the origin of the sanctuary and its title (HTTP 200).
- Vatican News, Marian shrines of Ivory Coast, including Issia (HTTP 200).
- OpenStreetMap node 1599890269, locality of Issia (HTTP 200).
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