Madonna Pilgrimage from
Monterey County by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget
“We’re
going to go on a pilgrimage now, or a trip to a religious site through the
countryside. Most people go on
pilgrimages by foot, but we’ll go by car to the park in Watsonville where a laid
off cannery plant worker saw a vision of Guadalupe in a tree,” I said to my
daughter Florence.
As
we went to the car, I put Hildegard von Bingen’s music on and drove to Betabel
and Y Roads on Highway 101 and cut over to Watsonville.
“What
I am going to tell you is Catholic, specifically French Catholic,” I said.
When
we arrived at the park in Watsonville, I took a bag of apples out of the trunk
and two jars of peanut butter and began walking towards the tree where the
Guadalupe had been seen.
We
put our offerings of peanut butter and apples on a table that held oranges,
tortillas, and oatmeal.
“Latinos,
which include Hispanics of Mexican descent, are usually Catholic or celebrate
Catholic holidays. The French are
Catholic, too, if you count observing Catholic holidays,” I began.
“There
are many Madonnas in French churches that people pray at to alert the church
that they have financial or other difficulties.
Churchwomen usually are the ones who speak to other women to help
them. It is difficult for the poor to
approach priests, who appear like Gods in their gold embroidered robes, no
matter what color their clothing is for the church year,” I said.
“France
is famous for its many Black Madonnas around the Mediterranean, because the
soil is like a desert without irrigation.
People can easily starve there, if there is not enough food. Starvation drives many people to seek help
from Black Madonnas, which are signals to the Church and community to take care
of the poor,” I said to Florence.
“Where
we are sitting in this park also holds some secrets of Madonna sightings no matter
what country you are in,” I continued.
“Amalia
Mesa Baines from CSUMB says Madonna sightings occur near woods and lakes like
this park. There are ways to obtain food
in these areas from what is called foraging for mushrooms, nuts, and berries. The lakes provide fish and sometimes you can
capture birds and eat eggs in a forest,” I said.
Florence
and I sat quietly in the Madonna sighting area and were happy that families
were out taking walks as some added food to the altar as well.
Later
in the car, I told Florence peanut butter and apples together are practically a
protein like meat and that eating like a vegetarian several times a week
stretches food money.
We
listened to more Hildegard von Bingen music on the way home on our religious
tour of Watsonville, California and enjoyed the beautiful Central California
scenery.
Today
the Madonna sighting area has become Mount Madonna Park and offers equestrian
paths, archery areas, camping trips for kids, and an theatre for plays or
music in the redwoods in addition to hiking.
By
Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
