VCO personal pilgrimage through the spiritual heart of Catholicism
Yesterday, on the sacred Festum Beatae Mariae Virginis Fatimae (Feast of Our Lady of Fatima), I embarked on a deeply personal pilgrimage through the spiritual heart of Catholicism here in Rome. I had the honour of visiting two extraordinary Marian sanctuaries: the Basilica Sanctae Mariae Maioris (Basilica of Saint Mary Major) and the Ecclesia Sancti Alphonsi Mariae de Ligorio (Church of Saint Alphonsus of Liguori).
At Santa Maria Maggiore, the first Marian basilica in the Western Church and one of the four major papal basilicas, I was enveloped by the tranquillity of its sacred halls. Here lies the tomb of our beloved His Holiness Pope Francis, a towering moral force of our time who guided the world with gentleness, clarity, and radical compassion.
I had the solemn privilege of praying at his tomb and lifting my dear homeland — Nigeria, and my beloved state — Anambra, in Holy Mass, entrusting our hopes to God under the tender gaze of Our Lady, Mother Mary.
From there, I continued to the Sanctissimus Redemptor et Sanctus Alphonsus in Via Merulana — the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer and Saint Alphonsus of Liguori — home to the original 14th-century icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.
This powerful image of the Blessed Virgin — the Virgin of the Passion — has comforted the hearts of millions across the globe. Standing before her, I whispered prayers for personal strength and peace in our land, light for our leaders, and help for all who labour under the weight of despair.
To experience this on May 13th, a date etched into Catholic memory through the miraculous apparitions at Fátima in 1917, was no coincidence. In a world shaken by uncertainty, Our Lady’s call — to pray with devotion, to repent with humility, and to hold fast to the hope of peace — rings with renewed urgency.
May this time draw us back to heartfelt prayer and a deeper service to one another. May the Holy Spirit grant wisdom and strength to the Church under the shepherding of His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV.
Mater Fatimae, ora pro nobis.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.
