A modern and unique sanctuary was built on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia by an Indian Jesuit priest, Fr James Bharataputra. He has been working in Medan, the capital of Sumata for 50 years. When he arrived there, he found that the people had no education – so he built a school and children and adults were educated. In the year 2000 he decided to build a new church, which was built between 2000 and 2005, dedicated to Our Lady of Good Health, known as Velangkanni, the place where the Blessed Mother appeared twice.
The generosity of the people helped build this church with Indo-Mughal style, a design which makes the church appear as a temple, a mosque and as a church at the same time. The various quotations on the walls are written in 4 languages: Indonesian, English, Tamil and Chinese. The basement is often used as a community center, the middle part is used as a church, and the top part is used as an artistic and spiritual place for contemplation. The church attracts people of all faiths and cultures.
Make sure you come back tomorrow as I will share with you over the next few days some of the magnificent tapestries recently restored and displayed at St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, Malta, which I just visited earlier today.
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