Estonian Catholics prepare for annual pilgrimage to Marian shrine of Viru-Nigula

By Marge-Marie Paas – Tallinn

Estonian Catholics will travel to the country’s oldest shrine on Saturday, August 24, to celebrate 25 years of God’s blessings through the annual pilgrimage to St. Mary’s Chapel in Viru-Nigula.

This year the pilgrimage is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Apostolic Administration of Estonia, established on November 1, 1924.

Estonian Catholics are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first pilgrimage to St. Mary’s Chapel in Viru-Nigula, which took place on May 1, 2000.

The year 2000 was declared by Pope John Paul II as a Holy Year throughout the Catholic Church, and the Church of Estonia received many graces through the intercession of the Holy Virgin Mary of Viru-Nigula.

Before the pilgrimage, Bishop Philippe Jourdan, Apostolic Administrator of Estonia, stressed the spiritual significance of the pilgrimage.

“Pilgrimage is not just about walking and praying,” he said. “In the Catholic Church, a pilgrimage is traditionally first and foremost a journey of prayer, where the pilgrim visits places particularly linked to the Virgin Mary and prays with the same trust with which a small child implores his mother – for himself, for the Church, for the world. Many graces and blessings will remain a mystery between God and each person. The Church advises us to thank God himself etiam ignotisthat is, for the graces we have received, even if we do not know them, because we are not always aware of what God does in our life and in our heart.

In 1924, Pope Pius XI restored the recognition of the Estonian Catholic Church as a separate ecclesiastical entity. Previously, Estonian Catholics belonged to the Diocese of Riga. This decision gave the Estonian Catholic Church new life and a missionary spirit.

“We thank God and His Mother for the graces and blessings that the Estonian Catholic Church has received over the past 100 years, both in difficult times and in the best,” said Bishop Jourdan. “We especially pray to God, through the intercession of His Holy Mother, to bless our Church with many graces in the new century that is beginning. Among other things, dear brothers and sisters, I ask you to pray that the Church will soon proceed to the beatification of our first apostolic administrator, servant of God, Archbishop Eduard Profittlich SJ (1890-1942).”

The bishop stressed that participation in the Marian pilgrimage is important for many reasons, both spiritual and communal.

“The pilgrimage to Viru-Nigula is an enriching experience that goes beyond simply visiting a holy place,” he said. “It is an inner journey to better understand oneself and one’s faith, as well as a way to strengthen one’s connection with the community and God. We thank God especially for these 100 years, and we ask for the Church and for the world, especially for peace, in Ukraine, in the world and in our hearts.”