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There have been reports of Marian apparitions around the world, especially in the last 200 years. Timor-Leste is no exception, as the people there have their own devotion to Our Lady of Aitara.
Pope Francis recently mentioned this Marian apparition in a parting message, “I entrust Timor-Leste and all its people to the protection of Our Lady of Aitara. May she accompany and aid you always in your mission to build a free, democratic and united country, where no one feels excluded and everyone can live in peace and dignity.”
St. John Paul II similarly sent a message to the people of Timor-Leste acknowledging the local faith in this apparition, “As I impart a cordial Apostolic Blessing to you all, I invoke upon the Authorities of the Democratic Republic of East Timor and all who will work for a prosperous and serene future the divine assistance and intercession of Mary Immaculate, affectionately invoked by you under the title of the ‘Virgin of Aitara.'”
Who is Our Lady of Aitara?
There is little information available in the English language about Our Lady of Aitara, though there is a brief history of the apparition on a website for a shrine dedicated to her in Australia.
Our Lady of Aitara is the National Marian Shrine in Timor-Leste. The Virgin Mary appeared to several women near a banyan tree on Aitara Hill, above Soibada in Timor-Leste, on October 16 in the early 20th century. Since the apparition, the site on Aitara Hill has been a place of great religious significance to the Timorese people and the nation.
Every year there is a festival to celebrate the apparition. In addition, hundreds of people from all over Timor Leste make an annual pilgrimage to the Chapel at Soibada to deepen their faith.
Furthermore, “The people of Timor-Leste credit Our Lady of Aitara as the bringer of peace to their land.”
In many ways she is a local equivalent to Our Lady of Fatima.
And today we celebrate...