May is a special month, ideal for renewing our spiritual life and strengthening our relationship with the Virgin Mary. “Spiritual visits” to shrines or places where she is honored offer us a respite from the daily grind and a boost of hope.

After the pandemic, we value human contact more than ever. A simple coffee or dinner with someone close can fill us with joy and meaning. And even more so if we share that time with those who encourage us, inspire us, and help us see life with more light: those people who recharge our souls.

But there is something even deeper than that encounter in a café: when you are invited into their home. Because in the home, the heart is revealed, and everything takes on a more intimate and true meaning.

The same thing happens with the Virgin Mary. When we visit her in her “homes”—sanctuaries, hermitages, churches where she is venerated—something is transformed in us.

Visit her. Don’t go alone. And don’t arrive empty-handed.

During this Marian month, I invite you to visit one of her shrines. And if you can, go with someone. There’s no better plan than sharing faith and devotion with someone you love.

And as with any important visit, one doesn’t arrive empty-handed. You can bring her flowers, of course. But there is one gift that she has always valued greatly: the recitation of the rosary. Each Hail Mary is a sign of love that reaches Heaven and remains there forever.

Moving Testimonies

There are countless stories of people who have experienced comfort, peace, and even miracles after making a pilgrimage to a Marian shrine.

One woman, for example, was accompanying a dying friend in a hospital. Heartbroken, she begged the Virgin Mary to at least send them a priest. They told her none would arrive until the following morning. However, shortly afterward, she saw a young priest praying with a Marian rosary in his hands. She asked him to care for her friend, and he agreed. Then he disappeared, without anyone knowing who he was or where he had come from.

Another story tells how a young woman, estranged from the faith, accompanied her grandmother to a shrine. Upon entering a chapel presided over by a statue of Christ, she felt this question deep in her soul: “Why don’t you ask my forgiveness?” And that day she went to confession, beginning a new stage in her life.

How to Make a Simple Pilgrimage

At home, we follow a simple tradition, inspired by Saint Josemaría Escrivá, for making pilgrimages in May:

As we leave the house, we pray a part of the rosary.

Once at the shrine or before an image of the Virgin Mary, we pray the corresponding part of the day along with the litanies.

And on the way back home, we prayed the last part of the rosary.

It’s a beautiful way to unite prayer and journey, body and soul, and to fully experience this time with Her.

Give yourself this encounter

If you’re looking for something to fill your soul, a pilgrimage may be the perfect plan. Take someone you love with you, and let yourself be surprised by the peace, joy, and grace that spring forth when we encounter Our Lady.

She always welcomes you. She always listens. And she always blesses. Why not?