Our Lady of Siluva and the Hill of crosses

long day today. We had a lot of travelling today. We went to Siluva – the site of the first known apparition of Our Lady in Europe. The rock she sat on now has an altar on it and a church built around it. It was such a privilege to be able to touch it. When I touched it I prayed to Our Lady and asked her to look after my boys. We then went to the Basilica and saw the Miraculous Icon. Many people have had good health after praying in front of it and in thanksgiving they donated silver medals and other precious metals. This was then used as the gilding decorating the Icon – gifts from ordinary people – not the wealthy. In a little chapel off the main church was a wooded statue which was carved from the tree which was growing next to the apparition rock.

Last year was the 400th Anniversary of Apparition. I was taken with the fact that the area is still so rural, a few houses, the Basilica, the Apparition chapel, John Paul pastoral centre and a small shop, - a real rural shop, supermarket and hardware etc. all rolled into one. I’d love to be able to spend more time here.

After lunch we headed to the Hill of crosses. After uprisings in 1831 and 1863 rebels were secretly buried there and crosses were erected there. In early 20th century there were about a hundred crosses there. During the Soviet era the authorities tried to destroy them but each time more crosses were erected. Apparently at one stage they bulldozed the area to flatten it but still the people came back at night and replaced the crosses. There were restrictions and no cars could come near the place so the people walked. We walked up the steps to the top of the hill. It was amazing to see the amount of different crosses. Big crosses, small crosses, plain crosses, elaborate crosses, crosses on crosses. Rosaries on crosses. I had planned to bring a cross from home but I forgot, so I was going to buy some but my Mother had a number of crosses she had brought back from my late Aunt’s home after she died last Holy Thursday. Very appropriate Aunty Mairéad prayed so much for us all. I took five of the crosses and left them on the hill and prayed especially for my four sons and their Dad. I also prayed for many others but as always they are the main focus of my prayers.
I was really taken with a statue of Our Lady covered in Rosaries. It’s like a shawl around her. From the Hill of crosses we walked to the Franciscan Monastery for Mass. Behind the altar is a window overlooking the Hill of Crosses.
It was a three hour journey back to the seminary. I tried my best to follow the journey by the map until I fell asleep, between praying, knitting, and map reading I was exhausted!!