Sorrowful Mother of Warfhuizen
| Sorrowful Mother of Warfhuizen | |
|---|---|
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| Our Lady of the Garden Enclosed | |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Major shrine | Hermitage of Warfhuizen, Netherlands |
| Feast | September 15 |
| Attributes | Statue of Our Lady of Sorrows holding a white handkerchief, gold crown and jewelry, richly embroidered mantle |
| Patronage | Warfhuizen, desperate situations, people with illnesses |
The Sorrowful Mother of Warfhuizen is the name most often used for Our Lady of the Enclosed Garden, the statue that is kept at the hermitage of Warfhuizen. Since 2003 it has drawn many pilgrims to the village in the north of Groningen. It is also popularly called Our Lady of Warfhuizen or Mary of Warfhuizen.
In 2001 a hermitage with adjacent chapel was established by Catholics in the former reformed church in the Groninger village of Warfhuizen. In 2003 a lifesize Spanish processional statue of Our Lady of Sorrows was placed there, with the name of 'Our Lady of the Garden Enclosed' (also the title of the hermitage and chapel). The statue was cut by Sevillan sculptor Miguel Bejarano Moreno, one of the sculptors specialised in making statues for the famous procession in Holy Week in Andalusia.
After the statue was placed in the chapel the increasing number of visitors to the (very remote) chapel began to be noticed.. It became apparent that many people came to Warfhuizen, especially for Mary. At the start, these were mostly Spanish expats and Latin Americans. but Catholics from the area itself, who had been missing such a chapel, soon followed. The pilgrims then came from increasingly further away, including Germany and Flanders, to Warfhuizen. The large number of pilgrims from Limburg is striking. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as the 'miracle of Warfhuizen'. This term, originally probably a joke, often leads to confusion. What it means is that it is miraculous that the chapel has become a pilgrimage site, especially without a miracle of apparition having taken place.
Our Lady of the Enclosed Garden represents Mary's pity for her Son. That is probably the reason why she draws many pilgrims who have worries about their children to Warfhuizen, as is clear from the book of intentions. When leafing through it, one will find many heartfelt cries concerning young people afflicted by illness or accidents, or whose lives went off the track. During the pilgrimage season (in Warfhuizen that is from roughly the middle of April to the patronage feast day (15 September) groups also regularly visit.
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Wikipedia