Oasis Netherlands, 10 October 2023.

PILGRIMAGE TO SAINT SERVATIUS BASILICA

Br. Bonavetura Kasiya.

It was a bright day when all Brothers gathered for morning prayers led by the only participant from Chile province. As brothers of one family we also united our intentions with Bro. Callistus Yengdem who had his birthday this day to demonstrate our brotherly love for him.

During the first session with Bro. Valentinus Daru, he announced the nature of the pilgrimage to Saint Servatius Basilica. “Walk, Talk and Pray with Msgr. Ludovicus Rutten” was the theme that guided our tour through the Basilica church. The Basilica of Saint Servatius is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Servatius, in the city of Maastricht, the Netherlands. At the entrance, we gathered around the statue of St. Servaas where we lit candles and said prayers before proceeding to inner part of the church. 

After admiring the edifice for a few minutes we move down to the crypt. This  is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church. The crypt typically contains graves and other religious relics. We held a 20 minutes’ prayer service in the crypt. This allowed participants to feel the inspiration of these great Saints and Holy people who dedicated their lives to the service of humanity. After the communal prayers, we allowed each one to have some quiet moments to reflect on the spirit of commitment of all those who helped built the church. Most of us were also inspired by what we heard about the three Holy men, namely St. Servatius, Msgr. L. Rutten and Bro. Bernardus.

Moving further into an inner chamber, we found the tomb of the Holy man of God Saint Servatius. He was the last bishop of Tongeren and the first bishop of Maastricht. He died in Maastricht in the year 384 AD. The dean of the Basilica, who led us to the tomb gave us a brief history of the crypt. We prayed together after which he gave us his blessing. This brought us to the end of the first part of our visit. From here we returned to the course centre “Onder de Bogen”. 

Under the same theme Walk, Talk and Pray with Msgr. Ludovicus Rutten, we embarked on the second part of our pilgrimage to St sevartious Basilica at 14:30. This time, we went straight to one area of the church – a porch, where Msgr. Ludovicus Rutten began his charitable work of giving Catechetical instruction to poor children of Maastricht. After looking carefully around the porch, we started a carefully prepare prayer service at a place we believe is very significant for the FIC congregation. We sang “Walk, walk in the light” followed by a series of scripture readings interspersed with moments of reflection. The prayer service which lasted over an hour included reflective readings from “the project” of Msgr. Rutten. 

Physically present in front of the place where our founder began his mission work was one of the most remarkable and memorable moments in our history. This gave us the impression that the spirit of the Lord is among us and working through us, under the intercession of Our Mother Mary. 

The inspiration we got during the journey and the sharing we had show that our founder lived a lovely and humble life, a life dedicated to the service of poor people. His works of charity and Spirit of love still exists up to now. He was truly a man of courage; He was prayerful and a discerning person. Because of his openness the Spirit guided him through his work. This servant proved himself faithful and wise; the Lord entrusted the care of his household to him. He has done great work in the city of Maastricht and his services continue to spread all over the world.

Let us also keep in mind that God also calls us to be saints. Pope Francis said: “ we are called to be holy,  not worldly!” if this seems like too tall an order, remember that through God’s help and protection, we can live our lives reflecting His love and goodness, letting Him work through us, just like He has  done with the saints! Lord, help us all to be good and to do good; to continue spreading the good news of our founder who has inspired us all.