Marian devotion
Our Lady of Pontmain
Marian Invocation of Pontmain (Loire Country)
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Main data
Origin and history
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The Catholic Church maintains that the Virgin Mary manifested herself in the people of Pontmain, Department of Mayenneregion Loira countries (France), el 17 January 1871in the context of the Franco-Prussian war. The apparition was seen mainly by the brothers Eugène and Joseph Barbadette and other children of the place, while the adults present did not perceive the figure, something that collect the testimonies and the ecclesial research.
During the vision, the Virgin appeared on a house, dressed in dark blue with stars, holding a crucifix and showing a message progressively written in the sky, inviting the and to hope in the middle of the war situation. The Bishop of Laval, Mons. Wicart, after a process of discernment, officially approved the apparition of the 2 February 1872, by pastoral letter. The Holy See subsequently granted its own Mass and Office in honor of Our Lady of Hope of Pontmain.
It has been pointed out as a historical fact that, a few days after the apparition, the Prussian advance towards the region ceased and the armistice between France and Prussia was signed, although the interpretation of this fact as miraculous belongs to the realm of faith.
# # Tradition and spiritual reading
The devotional tradition emphasizes that the Virgin of Pontmain is "Mother of Hope", associating the apparition with protection of the soldiers of the people and the preservation of the region of invasion. A number of sources Thirty-eight soldiers From Pontmain they returned safe and sound, interpreted by the faithful as a special sign of intercession.
This advocation, officially recognized from the pontificate of Pío XI, is considered, along with Lourdes y La Salette, una de las three great Marian asvocations of France. The subsequent expansion of devotion to other countries, including Colombiais inserted into this historical and spiritual framework, although there is no detailed documentation on the date of introduction of the cult in Pontmain, Colombia.
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The image and the sanctuary
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La iconografía de Our Lady of Pontmain reproduces the description of the seers:
– Mary standing, suspendida en el cielo sobre una casa del pueblo. – Dark Blue Dress Splatter of small stars, ceñido con un cinturón rojo. – Crown o diadema sobre la cabeza, igualmente adornada con estrellas. – En algunos momentos de la visión, la Virgen sostiene un red crucifix con el Cristo en tonos claros, signo de la Pasión. – Su expresión es serena pero compasiva, accentuating the title of Mother of Hope.
The later cult images (statues and paintings) faithfully follow this iconographic model, both in the French sanctuary and in replicas spread by other countries. There is no specific information on the material of the venerated image in Pontmain (Colombia); it is usually treated, by analogy with other altars, of a size in makes the resin polychrome, pero for this concrete place in the documented date hay , for which it is decided: no consta.
### The Sanctuary
At the place of apparition, in Pontmain (Mayenne, Francia), the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Hope / Notre-Dame de Pontmainwhich achieved the dignity of basilica. The sources point out that there is currently a basilica-santuary to which they come approximately 200,000 pilgrims per year. It is a national sanctuary in France, with pastoral centre and intense liturgical life.
Concerning "Pontmain shrine" in Colombiathe sources consulted do not, on an official or canonical basis, collect a Nacional or diocesan sanctuary under this advocation. A specific canonical title (such as diocesan sanctuary o National) for a temple in Pontmain in Colombia, so as to that specific recognition, no consta. The the spread of devotion a Our Lady of Pontmain in Spanish-speaking ecclesial fields, including Colombia, through catechesis, digital content and Marian groups.
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Sponsorship and coronation
La advocación de Our Lady of Pontmain / Our Lady of Hope is recognized as Patron of the people of Pontmain in France. Some sources of Marian outreach present it as one of France's particularly significant claims, without giving it an exclusive national patronage.
As for the canonical coronation, the sources agree that the image was coronated solemnly el 24 July 1934, por el cardenal Jean Verdier, Archbishop of Paris, acting on behalf of the Pope. This coronation is considered the canonical coronation of Our Lady of Hope of Pontmain.
There is no specific patronage or coronation of its own for a local image in Pontmain (Colombia); the devotion there participates in the same Marian title and the same reference coronation made in the French sanctuary.
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Party and devotion
La main party of Our Lady of Pontmain is celebrated the 17 January, anniversary of the apparition of 1871. This date is collected in local liturgical calendars and in the French sanctuary itself, where it is celebrated with special solemnity.
The Pontmain shrine in France welcomes each year around 200,000 pilgrims, que acuden a la basílica para Masses, processions, Eucharistic worship, prayer of the Rosary, confessions and Marian acts. The message of the apparition, focused on the and hope in the midst of the testIt inspires the spirituality of the place.
In a number of countries, including the Spanish sphere, the private and community devotion a Our Lady of Pontmain through novies, catechesis, celebrations of January 17 and other forms of popular piety. For Pontmain, Colombia, in particular, there are no official data on the number of pilgrims or on their own stable traditions in the sources consulted. no consta statistical information or regulations specific to that place.
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Link to the Rosary
In the narrative of the apparition of Pontmain no explicit message about the Rosary as such, unlike other Marian apparitions where the Virgin mentions it directly. The message is generally focused on the prayertrust and Christian hope.
However, in the praxis of the French sanctuary, the prayer of the Rosary It is part of the main expressions of devotion: it is prayed in pilgrimages, vigil and Marian celebrations, and it is proposed as a concrete response to the call to the prayer of the Virgin of Pontmain. Thus, the Rosary appears as the privileged mode with which the faithful accompany the message of hope of this advocation.
From a general Marian perspective, the Ro
A flower for the Virgin
Offer a simple prayer to this Marian devotion. Pray a Hail Mary for France and for all of America.
Pray Hail MaryDocumented expansion: apparition, war and interpretation limits
The historical study dedicated to Pontmain in the context of the French-Prussian war recalls that German withdrawal and ecclesial recognition belong to different planes. The apparition was declared by the Bishop of Laval, Casimir Wicart, on February 2, 1872, after the canonical investigation. This decision explains the state of recognised apparition from Pontmain, but it does not make it proven that the vision would militarily cause the withdrawal of the troops.
The temporary proximity favored a providential reading among the faithful: on January 17, 1871, the children declared that they had seen the Virgin and, a few days later, the immediate threat to the area ceased. The documented history allows both circumstances to be narrated; the attribution of the withdrawal to the intercession of Mary belongs to the devotional tradition and must be presented as such. The popular phrases attributed to Prussian controls should also be avoided as historical quotations if they do not appear in the file.
The Sanctuary of Pontmain conserves and presents the episcopal commandment of 1872 as the act that recognized the apparition. The document contains this institutional source together with the academic study to maintain the difference between the ecclesial judgment on the phenomenon and the religious interpretation of military events.
Sources of this enlargement: Santuary of Pontmain, history y Annales de Bretagne et des Pays de l ́Ouest, estudio histórico sobre Pontmain.
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