Medellin (Colombia). On 17 June 2025, 30 members of the ADMA Association, including children and adults, belonging to the Educating Community of Mary Help of Christians School of El Santuario, of Mary Help of Christians Province (CMA), participated in a Marian pilgrimage led by Sister Flor Elba Meneses, Spiritual animator of ADMA El Santuario.
The pilgrimage took place at the Jubilee Shrine La Divina Pastora, located in the municipality of El Peñol, Antioquia, home to a Marian apparition in 1903. It is a natural Sanctuary formed by the superposition of two rocks, the largest placed in the upper part, which seems to be suspended, defying the law of gravity to form a large hall, “a beautiful demonstration of how God in His infinite power makes use of Himself and does not need to lean on anything that supports Him,” commented Sister Flor Elba.
There the group was received by Father Francisco Ocampo, who with dedication and commitment, daily welcomes pilgrims arriving from different parts of the Country and abroad. The meeting began with the greeting and presentation of the Association of Mary Help of Christians, praised and valued by Father Francisco who, knowing the mission and work of the FMA, did not miss the opportunity to invite them to be part of the Sanctuary Community.
The prayer of the Rosary was followed by Confessions and then the celebration of the Eucharist, where special prayers were offered for Pope Leo XIV and a contribution for the poorest was offered.
It was an experience of great Marian intensity that allowed participants to welcome, in the atmosphere of the Jubilee 2025, the graces of the plenary indulgence promised for this occasion.
Some resonances on the Pilgrimage
Sister Flor Elba Meneses Arias: “As an Association of Mary Help of Christians, we have planned and prepared for this pilgrimage during the holiday period in order to earn the plenary indulgences for this year of grace dedicated to growing in every heart the theological virtue of Hope and, together with this, the virtues of Faith and Love.
The group experience allows us to strengthen the bonds of friendship and foster the family spirit proposed by Don Bosco. As spiritual animator of ADMA, I feel grateful to God and the Virgin because, first of all because I feel that I am the first beneficiary of this great heritage from our Founder for which, through the apostolic ardor of the FMA and the active members of the Association, devotion and love for the Eucharistic Jesus and for Mary Help of Christians continue to be preserved throughout the world.
I also consider these spaces of fraternal sharing and, in some way recreational, especially for the presence of children and adolescents who, in addition to having fun, experience the Virgin as a tender and always diligent presence for the needs of the poorest.
For these and other reasons, it is worth taking advantage of this jubilee year to live a pilgrimage as a group of the Salesian Family and to strengthen in the particular mission that each member of the Association has; to be light and salt for each of their families, reflections of the maternal presence of the Virgin among their loved ones and people with whom they relate in daily life.”
Luz Marleny Giraldo Ramírez: “For me, it is a wonderful experience to be part of ADMA, because it teaches me the value of prayer. Sincerely, I was a more lukewarm person in prayer and since I am in the ADMA, I have learned so much, for example the great value of the Virgin Mary and Helper. To her I owe everything that I have, my husband and my children. So, I am infinitely grateful to this beautiful group and I feel blessed to belong to the Salesian Family.”
