Fr. A. Albert Muthumalai, S. J.
Image: OC Gonzales
Oriyur is an isolated village in Ramanathapuram district along the sea coast of the Bay of Bengal in India. It is about 450 K.M. down south east of the metropolitan city of Chennai and at the ‘Pambar River’ bordering Pudhukottai district. Andavorani was established as a parish in 1893 and Oriyur was attached to it and the Servant of God, Fr. Louis Maria Leveil, S.J. (1883–1973) was the parish priest from 1921 to 1943. He made Oriyur a centre of ‘Spiritual Renewal’ to pray for and to prepare for the speedy Canonization of the Jesuit martyr.
THE FIRST PILGRIMAGE:
The first pilgrimage to Oriyur was organized by Fr. Leveil, a sort of remembrance of our Mother’s request by ‘Prayer and Penance’. Hence the procession was one of continued prayers, Sacrament of Reconciliation and ended with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.
On 07 April 1930, the Holy Father handed over St. Mary’s Church at Oriyur to the concern and care of the Jesuits. Fr. Leveil, was fortunate to receive the key of St. Mary’s Church and celebrated the thanksgiving Mass on 09 April 1930. In 1943, it was bifurcated from Andavorani and become a Parish. Fr. Divianathan, S.J., was the first parish priest of Oriyur.
Pope Pius XII canonized John de Britto (1647–1693) on 22 June 1947. In commemoration of the great event, the foundation was laid by Most Rev. J. P. Leonard, S.J., the then Bishop of Madurai in 1948 and the Church was consecrated and declared a Shrine by His Grace John Peter Leonard, S.J., Archbishop of Madurai, in 1960.
The purpose of Christian pilgrimage was summarized by Pope Benedict XVI in this way, “To go on pilgrimage means to step out of ourselves in order to encounter God, where his grace has shone with particular splendour and produced rich fruits of conversion and holiness among those who believe”. Above all, Christians as well as non-Christians go on pilgrimage to Oriyur, the place of martyrdom of St. Arulanandar to thank him with candles, incense, coconut saplings and garland of flowers to strengthen their spirit with the Saint’s witness of faith and love.
Pilgrimage On Foot:
In a world of busyness with too many obligations, we have become disconnected and disillusioned. In a religious pilgrimage, many people still walk for a religious or spiritual reason. To gain the richest inner experience while walking, it helps to be ever-present to all creations and creatures. Structuring a walk around a unique purpose is determined by the heart and activated by the feet.
In the month of June 2022, around 250 pilgrims from the district of Kanyakumari intended to walk all the way towards Velankanni reached the Shrine of St. Arulanandar on the fourteenth day of their journey with swelling and bleeding legs. A pilgrim with a gleaming smile was giving an oil massage at the feet to his fellow-pilgrims. He narrated, “I was a pilgrim started walking ten years ago. When I reached the Shrine of St. Arulanandar, I was directed to move towards the statue of Arulanandar and placed my two hands at the feet of the saint. Suddenly I felt a powerful current piercing my bones; my bleeding feet got relieved of the excruciating pain. I went about providing to the needy persons and by the providence of the Lord Jesus, I could sense the spot of the pain-originating place and make them fit for the journey”.
A Rare Relic Of The Cross:
Renouncing his mother, friends, relatives and royal kingdom, Britto entered the Society of Jesus at the age of 15 in 1662 and a personal Cross was given to him and he kept it close to his heart. In his missionary journeys in Tamilnadu for 18 Years, many flocked to him to receive the Good News, Sacraments and above all special healings from the Cross.
Before a day ahead of the beheading in February 1993, he sent the Cross to Fr. John de Costa, S.J. at Vedalai through a convert boy. Fr. Costa was perplexed at the sight of the Cross and more than that the following day around noon, Arulanandar appeared to him holding the severed head in his hands. Having understood that Arulanandar had been beheaded from different sources, the Cross was sent to Lisbon, Portugal and finally the Cross landed at the Jesuit Provincialate, Leon in 1961. The Cross was gifted to the Shrine at Oriyur by Fr. Jacks Gillard, S.J., the then Provincial of France in 1963 when the Shrine celebrated the 300th Jubilee of the martyrdom of St. Arulanandar. From then onwards, countless pilgrims obtain blessings of miracles.
Animal Sacrifice:
Arulanandar was beheaded on 04th February 1693 and his body was at stake for ten days exposing his naked body to be devoured by wild animals and birds. In the evening, heavy rains with thundering and lighting shattered the sand smeared blood to different corners. The whole area was covered with red sand. A bird carried a piece of flesh of the Saint but dropped it accidentally on a spot hardly a kilometre away from the stake. That spot alone produces red sand profusely as one drains it.
Very often a pilgrimage in Oriyur culminates by slaughtering a goat and sharing of meals with relatives and the poor and disadvantaged. The mind-set of the pilgrims goes, “God is holy and perfect. You are not. Therefore, God is angry at you, so He has to kill you. But because He’s merciful, He’ll let you bring this animal to Him and will have the animal killed instead of you. Just as the goat symbolizes fertility, virility, and desire, they also symbolize creative energy.
Only through sacrifice we become worthy to live in the presence of God and enjoy eternal life. Many who have lived before us have sacrificed all they had. We may not be asked to sacrifice all things. But like Abraham, we should be willing to sacrifice everything to become worthy to live in the presence of the Lord. Some have suffered hardship and ridicule for the Gospel. Some members have lost their jobs; some have lost their lives. But the Lord notices our sacrifices; He promises, “Everyone who has forsaken houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name, will receive a hundred times as much, and inherit eternal life” (Mt. 19:29). Based on the teaching in Hebrews that Jesus was the “Lamb of God” to whom all ancient sacrifices pointed and at the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ permanently abolished animal sacrifice.
Conclusion:
The Divine Providence has linked Arulanandar marvellously with India. He was born in 1647, in Lisbon the Capital of Portugal exactly 300 years before the Independence of India. In June 2022, we fondly commemorated the 375th Birth Anniversary and the 75th year of his Canonization.
Thousands come to attend the pilgrimage of the Archdiocese of Madurai on 02 October every year and the Diocese of Sivagangai on the first Sunday of October. A constant train of pilgrims come and go around the year, especially on Wednesdays and week-ends. They confess their sins; commune with God; sing the hymns; and participate in the Eucharist. They carry the red sand with hope and Good News to proclaim which Arulanandar came and shed his blood here.
Rev. Fr. A. Albert Muthumalai, S.J., is currently the Superior and Parish Priest of St. John De Britto Shrine, Oriyur. With his wider experience of teaching-learning, research in Higher Education for 25 years and Administration for 35 years, now he is busy to obtain the Minor Basilica status for the Shrine of St. Arulanandar.He can be contacted by Email: albertmuthumalai54@gmail.com
