The 175th of La Salette with our worldwide family

Wonderful! On September 9, 2021, representatives from around the world gathered on the Holy Mountain of La Salette to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the merciful apparition of the Virgin Mary to two shepherds, Maximin and Melanie.

As Mary had asked the two young shepherds, “Well, my children, you will make this known to all my people.” The event and the message of La Salette were spread to the four corners of the world through people who were invited to go forward without fear, having left everything to become messengers of the Good News.

To thank God for these 175 years, despite the uncertainty of the worldwide health situation, representatives from the four corners of the world gathered on the mountain of La Salette for a week of prayer, reflection, and debate about our mission in the world. They came from Africa, Europe, Latin America, the United States, and Asia. This small group consisted of Religious Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, Sisters of Our Lady of La Salette, Missionaries of the Holy Family, La Salette Laity, and members of the Association of Pilgrims of La Salette (APS).

We had the grace to celebrate this jubilee together with the bishops of the dioceses of the countries where we are established and who were invited for this occasion. They are Their Excellencies José Nambi (Bié, Angola), Amilton Manoel da Silva, C.P. (Guarapuava, Brazil), Jean Louis Bouilleret (Besançon, France), Fulgence Razakarivony (Ihosy, Madagascar), John Noonan (Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.), Desiderius M. Rwoma (Bukoba, Tanzania), and Bishop Donald Pelletier (Bishop Emeritus of Morondava, Madagascar). They testified concerning how the message of La Salette is lived out in their dioceses.

Being one body — a gift and a challenge

Celebratory decorations on Mary's Assumption Statue on the Holy Mountain of La SaletteDuring this week of celebration, we experienced the feelings that the two children had towards the unknown, the new, and the extraordinary: the fear of not being understood by the other and even the fear of ridicule. We had to be bold to overcome the language barrier, open up to others, and exchange – and so much for the accent! The important thing was to exchange either good French or not-so-good English!

We experienced what it means to be part of the great La Salette family with its diversity and richness. It is beautiful to realize how far we have come since 1846! The obedience of men and women to the request of the Beautiful Lady, "Well, my children, you will make this known to all my people,” has given birth to several Religious Congregations: the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, the Missionaries of the Holy Family, the Sisters of Our Lady of La Salette, as well as the Lay La Salettes. Together, we form a single body charged with the task of bringing the message of the Beautiful Lady to all her people.

We are the Maximins and Melanies of our time

Whether we are religious men or women, lay people or bishops, we have rediscovered together the urgency of the message of La Salette. Where we live, the great famine, the drought, the little children who are dying, the floods, the fires, the displaced people, the pandemic and its consequences . . . We must also not forget the potatoes, the rice, the corn, the grapes, and the nuts that are rotting and that the Beautiful Lady still invites us to take care of these impending needs.

Called to be sowers of hope

We want to be sowers of hope in our world. May we wipe away the tears of our suffering sisters and brothers. May our hands plant the rice and broadcast the wheat seeds near and far! May we bring a word of consolation to those who are experiencing difficult times! May conversion be for us a personal and communal act!

Together, we have rediscovered the presence of God, who gives grace and walks with us, warms our hearts, and opens us to share with others.

An intimate but fervent group celebrating God’s faithful presence

Countless pilgrims walk the paths, singing and praying during their visit to the Holy Mountain

On Sunday, September 19, despite the unfavorable weather conditions, we were all around the Eucharistic table to share the same bread that makes us strong, to be at the service of our sisters and brothers in humanity. There were fewer of us than in years past, but each represented many people from the country they came from. It was wonderful!

After delivering her message to the shepherds, the Beautiful Lady took a few steps with them. They came out of the valley of the Sezia. As they climbed higher, they could see into the distance. This is the moment of farewell, confidence-sharing, and separation. But the small path they have traveled externally shows the inner way that the two shepherds have traveled: the passage from fear to audacity; from numbing paralysis to ardor; from refusal to acceptance; from distrust to trust; and from indifference to compassion.

We are one but many, joined in heart and spirit

We have experienced this substantial time living together in the place of the La Salette Apparition. We could do as Peter had asked us to do: build tents on the mountain (Matthew 17:4). But the Beautiful Lady invites us to come down to make tents in everyday life of our homes or workplaces, in the city or in the country, where we witness our faith in God, where the Lord invites us to be reconciled with our sisters and brothers, with ourselves, with nature and with the Lord himself.

We know that we are not alone. The Lord who sends us, assuring us of his presence and making us see the spoiled wheat in our land, in our own “corner” of the world. He opens our ears so we can hear the cry of the poor and nature itself.

All of us are concerned. We all have a mission from Mary to bring to all her people the Good News from a God who has made himself close and calls us to follow him. “Every life is a mission,” said Pope Francis, and we are all “missionary disciples, ” called to go forth in faith. What an extraordinary mission to bring to all her people!

(Republished with permission of the La Salette publication, Les Annales, May-June 2022; text from pgs. 6-7; visuals from pgs. 5, 8-11)