La Virgen de Lujan

On our recent visit to Argentina we were fortunate enough to have the use of a car and we decided to take a small day trip just to get out of town for the day. We decided to visit the Shrine in Lujan, in Buenos Aires Province, approximately 150 km from our home base in Ramallo. The cathedral in itself was as beautiful and grandiose as any that i've seen in North America or Europe. I was awestruck by the size and extremely elated to see that money was being spent to keep the buildings and grounds in pristine condition. Jesus probably would not have been happy about the souvenir stalls that were squeezed together throughout the grounds and side streets, an obvious money-grab selling some of the worst tourist crap that I've ever seen!

The inside of the cathedral was equally as humbling as the outer edifice. A sombre quiet filled the main room broken only by the tapping of the occasional high heel worn by a pilgrim. We walked about the church, pausing to look at the stained-glass windows, the stations of the cross and homages to different Saints. I was disappointed by the fact that there was very little about St. Paul who, besides being my favorite Saint, is being celebrated this whole year by Catholics worldwide. I also did not appreciate the number of Argentine flags adorning the inside, a firm believer that State and Church should remain separate. The basement contained homages to the Virgin from different countries, including Canada, and we spent an hour admiring the different dreams of all cultures and people, truly a faith affirming vision that spread light and energy to my heart.



The Virgen appeared to me in Argentina four years ago which has inspired me to search for true enlightenment through faith, belief and prayer. My vision came to me two days after my father in law passed away. I was roused out of bed at five in the morning and compelled to go outside. I was wearing only underwear and I did not stop to put on my shoes. There was a thick layer of dew on the ground and my legs quickly became drenched. I walked out the back door and kept going for two hundred metres at which time the Virgen came to me, from the sky. She was beautiful beyond description, dressed in blue and white, hair cascading from beneath her scarf. She reached out to me and said, "I will help you", nothing more. She seemed to be leaving and I reached out thinking she might take me with her. She disappeared and I was left standing there with a branch of a lemon tree that was standing where She had just been.

My story has been met with much skepticism, yet I am certain in my own heart that I saw what I saw. I have told family about it, the Argentine side believe in what transpired while my kin are certain that my vision was caused by sleeping pills and valium, there goes crazy Uncle Michael again! My brother Peter has been the sole supporter here in Canada, he is easily the most interested and optimistic of all my siblings.

I remain convinced that I saw her for a reason and I will continue my search for answers that will explain my appearance in a lemon grove, wet and half naked at six o'clock in the morning holding a lemon branch.

So there.....