La Divina Pastora Parish is a powerhouse of prayer. Apart from the regular liturgy and the six months Marian devotions, the parish has a number of prayer groups: youth prayer group, Charismatic prayer group, Bible study group, Blessed Sacrament devotion, Legion and Rosary Confraternity.

The church is open seven days a week and most public holidays. There is always someone at prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and before La Divin as well as others who are there for solace and peace.

This tradition of prayer has been going on for 250 years since the Spanish Capuchins brought the devotion to these shores and it continues among the young through the Sunday School classes.

Hindu pilgrims started coming to Siparia after the beginning of Indian indentureship (1845-1917). The conditions under which East Indians laboured were just a new form of slavery, albeit not as bad as African slavery.

Cultural disorientation, labour exploitation and sickness must have conjured up for East Indians a kali yug (dark age). It is no surprise therefore that the early East Indians saw in La Divin a replica of the goddess Kali – the Hindu goddess of death and destruction.

Kali’s grotesque features were made popular through Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Kali is usually worshipped with blood sacrifice and in the early days so was Siparee Mai. One Abbé Masse in the late 19th century writes: “Quite often they [the coolies] come with cocks, or goats, and kill them in front of the chapel. They truly give the Blessed Virgin an idolatrous worship. It is for this reason I tell her in my hymn: ‘Take pity on the infidels. They show so much love. Grant that their immortal souls may see the light of faith.’”

Hindus no longer worship in this manner. Now the offerings are sada (non-flesh/sweet) – oil, rice, flowers, perfume. Kali is also the deity of last resort and so in near hopeless situations Hindus turned to her for solace and to answer their prayers.

They still do. As they approach Siparee Mai (La Divin) on Holy Thursday and Good Friday they are wrapped in prayer. Sometimes they also ask for prayers and one of the assisting ladies, especially Vena Fermin, gladly assists.

According to Hindu tradition, what one prays for can be symbolised and offered. It is quite common to find shapes of eyes, feet and children etched onto thin, flat pieces of gold. A symbol of a little child most probably means the person is praying to have a child or to heal a sick child.

What astonished me was to see hordes of pilgrims crowding the La Divin chapel area even though she was not there. Again there they offered oil, rice, flowers, money, jewellery and perfume.

Devotees in front of La Divin

Quite consistent with religious anthropology, since she usually rests there, the area is considered sacred space whether La Divin is there or not. Even more astonishing was to see them praying in front of the main altar with the same fervency they displayed before La Divin.

We blocked off the sanctuary area with pews and they knelt there and prayed, many men, young and old, among them. How I would like to see more of that from our Catholic males!

It is interesting to look at the types of prayer. Here are samples of prayers from pieces of paper left behind. These may or may not belong to Hindus. In the La Divin prayer box I found the innocence of a child’s prayer (deduced from the handwriting): “Jesus I ask you to bless my teacher.”

A mother prays for her sons as they go through the turbulence of adolescence: “I also pray for my son (name) that the gods of sex will never overpower him and that he will be able to control any sexual urges at this time of his life and focus on his work at school and obtain top grades. I pray for (another son) that he too will put more focus on his school work and less on phones and demonic games.”

This could well be the prayers of most mothers in this country. Anything can be brought to prayer, even our sexuality, as this mother knows, as did St Monica for St Augustine.

And two mothers pray: “Special prayers for a successful surgery on (date given). Prayers for everything to be o.k. As well as prayers for conceiving and having a healthy child” and, “Jesus I ask you to heal my heart of the hurt I feel due to my last and I ask that when the time is right that you would bless my womb once again that I would be a mother one last time.”

Maternity is a frequent prayer request to La Divin. It is also interesting that several of the prayers in the La Divin box are addressed to Jesus. Isn’t that what Mary is there for? To lead us to Jesus?

The following prayer would most likely be from a Hindu: “For guideness and protection, also support in all that I do, especially in my education & career. Maa, please bless me with the health and strength to fulfill my duty. Also, maa, thank you for all your blessings you showered on me.”

What is her duty (dharma)? Traditionally, this would be to be a good wife and mother. She also includes what all genuine prayer should include: thanksgiving.

These and other prayers are very much in the genre of the Church’s book of prayer – the Psalms. One can detect in them urgency, groaning, longing, opening of the heart in desperation and anger, as when this woman prayed that her husband/lover (??) would “repent for all the wickedness he has done to me … blind his eyes to all other women.”

The psalms also betray much anger. However, while sometimes in the psalms the petitioner cries out to God to wreak vengeance on his/her enemies, none of the prayers I have seen so far betray this intent.

This is interesting since Kali is often invoked to harm others. However, as Siparee Mai, there is no such petition. Prayer is as it should be, for the well being of the other, even our enemies.

Is this the evolution of Hindu prayer under the influence of La Divin or is it the more general sense among contemporary religion that prayer is not a weapon to hurt but a balm to heal and reconcile?