Ouagadougou, 05 February, 2024 / 8:38 pm (ACI Africa).
The 28th annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Yagma in Burkina Faso’s Ouagadougou Archdiocese has concluded with a call to turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary to intercede for peace in the West African nation.
In his homily during the Eucharistic celebration to mark the conclusion of the February 3-4 pilgrimage, Archbishop Prosper Kontiebo said, “We have come to present to our Mother Mary our nation with the misery of its populations in perpetual displacement, in the misery of hunger and thirst, in the violence of our wars and insecurity.”
“In the midst of all this tragedy, our hope is to dare to speak to the maternal heart of Mary to obtain once again the gift of peace,” Archbishop Kontiebo emphasized during the February 4 Holy Mass.
The Burkinabe member of the Order of the Ministers of the Sick (M.I./Camillians) urged his Christian compatriots to reach out to each other in fraternal love and care, saying, “It is the duty of every Christian to put himself at the service of his brothers and sisters.”
Reflecting on theme of the Marian Pilgrimage 2024, “Lay people, take your place and play your role in the Church and society”, Archbishop Kontiebo emphasized the need for “active” faith.
