Our Lady of La Salette of Enfield

Patrona de Enfield

La devoción a Our Lady of La Salette has its origin in the Marian apparition of 1846 in the village of La Salette- Fallavaux, in the French Alps, where the Virgin would have shown herself crying to the pastoralists Mélanie Calvat and Maximin Giraud, calling for conversion and fidelity to God. This apparition was approved by the diocesan authority and the French sanctuary became an important center of pilgrimage, giving origin to the Congregation of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette.

Main data

Origin and history

La devoción a Our Lady of La Salette has its origin in the Marian apparition of 1846 in the village of La Salette- Fallavaux, in the French Alps, where the Virgin would have shown herself crying to the pastoralists Mélanie Calvat and Maximin Giraud, calling for conversion and fidelity to God. This apparition was approved by the diocesan authority and the French sanctuary became an important center of pilgrimage, giving origin to the Congregation of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette.

El National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette en Enfield (New Hampshire) was born historically as an initiative of the Missionaries of La Salette in the United States, who spread this advocation on American territory and explicitly inspired by the original French sanctuary. These religious settled next to Lake Mascoma, in Enfield (state of New Hampshire), where they developed a retreat house and Marian sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of La Salette; it is a spiritual and pastoral replica the shrine of La Salette in France, not a strict architectural reproduction. There is no single solemn date of publicly outstanding canonical "foundation," but it is recognized that the shrine of Enfield is part of the network of works and sanctuaries of the Missionaries of La Salette in North America.

From the perspective of the traditionThe faithful associate this sanctuary with the message of the Virgin "who weeps for the sins of the world" and calls for penance, prayer and fidelity to the Eucharist and Sunday, in continuity with the 1846 account in France. Such contents belong to the field of piety and the history of spirituality, and their reception in Enfield is concrete in the preaching, missions, retreats and celebrations organized by the Missionaries of La Salette for the people of God.

The image and the sanctuary

In the shrine of Enfield the Virgin is venerated under the iconography of Our Lady of La Salettebased on the representation of the apparition of 1846: the Virgin in a peasant's dress, crown of roses, cross on the chest and tears, associated with the message of conversion. This iconography is reproduced in statues and reliefs; however, the accessible documentation of the Enfield shrine does not state with public precision material principal of the headline image (wood, stone, resin or other), so that: no consta in verifiable sources the technical detail of the main piece.

The place of worship is known as National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette (Enfield, New Hampshire), identified as a sanctuary of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette by Lake Mascoma, within the corresponding Latin Catholic diocese in the United States. It's a Marian sanctuary and retreats house, with church, chapels, outdoor spaces for prayer and areas dedicated to the pastoral and reception of pilgrims. It is not known that the temple has been elevated to the title of minor basilicaor that there is a decree of recognition as "national sanctuary" by the Episcopal Conference, beyond the devotional use of the name "National Shrine" in the context of the congregation; therefore, for strictly documentary purposes, it can be described as Marian sanctuary managed by the Missionaries of La Salette. The set is also known for its great Festival of Lights in Christmas time, which attracts many visitors and has given visibility to the place in the region.

Sponsorship and coronation

Our Lady of La Salette, in her sanctuary of Enfield, is and spiritual patron of the work of the Misioneros de La Salette in that house, and Marian reference for the faithful of the area. No formal decree has been found in diocesan sources or in the publicly accessible congregation to proclaim it as the principal patron of the city of Enfield, the diocese or the state of New Hampshire; therefore, does not contain a canonically declared patronage beyond its character as the holder of the sanctuary and devotional reference.

On the canonical coronation of the venerated image in Enfield, there is no documentation showing an act of canonical coronation approved by the Holy See or by a pontifical delegation specific to this sanctuary. Therefore, with the rigour requested: does not contain a documented canonical coronation for the image of Our Lady of La Salette of Enfield's National Shrine.

Party and devotion

La main party of Our Lady of La Salette is celebrated the 19 September, in memory of the apparition of 1846. This date is also observed in the family of the Missionaries of La Salette and in the shrines linked to this advocation, including that of Enfield (New Hampshire), as the central day of the liturgical and devotional celebration.

The shrine of Enfield is characterized by hosting pilgrimagesspiritual retreats and prayer days, especially around the message of conversion, reconciliation and mercy associated with La Salette. One of his most well-known features is the great Christmas light festivala wide display of lighting and Christmas scenes in the surroundings of the sanctuary, which convokes many visitors each year and becomes the occasion of evangelization, catechesis and prayer for families and groups, even beyond the usual circle of practicing pilgrims. There are no exact and current official figures of inflow, and it should be simply indicated that this is a major regional event.

Devotion is expressed in participation in the Eucharist, el recurso al Sacrament of Reconciliationthe prayer of the Salette's own prayers and the meditation of the message of the Virgin, stressing the call to "return to God" and to fidelity to Christian life. The sanctuary, through the Missionaries of La Salette, also favours the listening and pastoral reception of those who seek spiritual orientation or a time of retreat.

Link to the Rosary

The documentation available from the Enfield shrine does not specify a particular or exclusive practice of the Rosary linked to this advocation (such as specific promises or unique ways of praying). Therefore, with documentary precision, it should be noted: no consta a differentiated or normative form of the Rosary prayer of Our Lady of La Salette in Enfield.

However, in the Catholic tradition, the Rosary It naturally accompanies devotion to La Salette, because the center of the message of the Virgin - to call for conversion, persevering prayer and fidelity to the Gospel - fully tunes with the spirituality of the Rosary. By contemplating the mysteries of Christ with Mary, the Rosary helps to welcome Our Lady of La Salette's call to penance, to reconciliation with God and with brothers, to the sanctification of Sunday and to a coherent Christian life. In the context of the shrine of Enfield, the prayer of the Rosary can then be considered a ordinary and privileged form to feed devotion to Our Lady of La Salette and to internalize her message in daily life.