Great Escape Day 2

Following one of the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had, and my Favorite Panamanian decided I’d been punished enough with her trademark silent treatment, we started Day 2 off with mass in the basilica. We then hit the road to the nearby village where the homes of the three children who saw the Marian Apparition have been preserved. This was like stepping back in time to see how these simple villagers lived in 1917. Two of the three were brother and sister while the third was their older cousin. Sadly, the brother and sister died in the 1919 flu epidemic. The cousin lived to a ripe old age as a nun. All three have been canonized as saints due to miracles associated with them. The first house we visited was the brother and sister’s. One of the most iconic photos of the kids was taken in front of a wall outside their house. We pulled the obligatory tourist move of taking a photo of ourselves in the same spot.

Our Tourist Photo

Original Photo at Same Spot

Walking into the humble house was very interesting as it has been maintained in the same manner as it was in 1917. One of the most amazing things was that a family of seven lived in the small house. Since I was with my Favorite Panamanian, we wandered over to the gift shop across the street. She engaged in a lively conversation with an elderly lady who ran the shop. Jose came over and told me the elderly lady was the niece of the two original visionary kids, the daughter of an elder brother. When I informed my wife, she had to return and continue that conversation (it’s what she does). We walked across the town to visit the home of the other visionary. This proved interesting as it also featured a path down to a fountain where an angel appeared to the kids to warn them they would see Mary soon.

The Village

Room in the House Where Youngest Visionary Died

Small Courtyard of the House

The Wall Where the Photos Took Place

The Second House

The village was inundated with tourists and souvenir shops, which, of course, we liberally sampled (not my idea). An interesting aspect was a bunch of trees that had their bark removed. Jose informed us they were cork trees. The bark is removed every five years. Several products are created from the cork, in addition to wine bottle stoppers. Several of our group bought purses created from the cork. On our way back to the sanctuary we stopped at the parish church where the kids attended as well as the adjacent cemetery where their families are interred. The two youngest visionaries were also buried there until the basilica was constructed and their remains moved there.

One of the Cork Trees

The Fountain

Representation of the Apparition

The Parish Church

The Cemetery

After lunch we were given a tour of the basilica which now contains the remains of all three visionaries. It was an amazing building with some memorable paintings and sculptures. We then walked down the length of the sanctuary to visit the underground basilica. As we walked across the sanctuary, a small rainbow appeared in the sky above us. The more ardent Catholics amongst us took this as a sign. The underground basilica was also memorable although more modern. Our final afternoon visit was to the sanctuary museum. This place boasted a veritable treasure trove of mementoes donated to the shrine over the years. One of the most interesting was a crown that was created to replicate the crown the visionaries saw their Mary wearing. Pope John Paul II (the Polish Pope) had a special relationship with the sanctuary, visiting several times. He donated the bullet that was removed from his chest after the assassination attempt.

Basilica

Interesting Nativity Statue

Looking Across Sanctuary Grounds

Inside Basilica

Visionary Grave

He was convinced his life was saved by the intercession of the Lady of Fatima. When they received the bullet, they decided to attach it to the inside of the crown. When the artisan charged with this installation started, he found the crown, created decades earlier, had an aperture inside below the top which the bullet fit in perfectly, as if created for it. We had some free time before dinner which we spent, you guessed it, shopping! This trip was for my wife, and I made a point of allowing her favorite activity to take place whenever the opportunity arose (I carried my kindle everywhere with me so I could read while this was happening).

The Rainbow

Looking Back from the Underground Basilica
Stone Path Where Pilgrims Transit on their Knees on Far Left

Door to Underground Basilica

Inside

Statues on the Sanctuary Grounds

Crown with Bullet Inside

She's Out There Shopping Somewhere

After dinner we took part in the nightly procession which presented a major surprise for me. I actually enjoyed the experience. Each night the pilgrims gather around the open-air chapel to recite the rosary. This was done in five or six different languages.Every participant carried a lit candle and since thousands were participating, it presented an amazing spectacle. The entire group then escorts the statue of Mary around the vast sanctuary grounds. A very moving part was whenever the singing of Ave Maria started, the entire group lifted their candles in unison. The most astounding part of the experience was being part of those thousands. It was composed of people from around the world but there was no shoving or unpleasantness. I hesitate to say it, but it was intensely spiritual and I’m not the most spiritual kind of guy. On the other hand, my extremely spiritual wife was in seventh heaven. I could not have been more surprised at myself. My wife’s marriage-long effort to make me a better Catholic may finally be taking root. The attached video captures a fleeting moment of the procession.

Procession Gathers

Ready to Walk

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete – my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; CRC - Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn; Czech Connection – Czech couple who’ve become good friends along with their daughter (the Czech Shadow); Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Seis Amigos - two couples from our condo complex and my wife and I; Soxfather – my brother-in-law (whom I miss more than I can ever explain); Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course