My cousin Malaika Shenoy spent last Christmas at Madonna House. Her stay had been "wonderful," and she was pleased, but surprised, after breakfast on the day she was to leave, when everyone prayed together the "Prayer for Travelers."

She had never heard people pray for travelers before, and she vaguely wondered why travelers need prayers.

Then after saying good-bye to everyone, she began her long journey home to Mumbai, India, via Toronto and New York.

The first stages were uneventful; in fact, they could not have gone better.

That changed drastically soon after she arrived at JFK International Airport in New York City to board her Air India flight home to India.

Check-in time for her six p.m. flight was four p.m., but, always nervous about being on time, she was there at three. There was already a long line, and she reached the counter at about 3:30.

When she presented her ticket envelope, the agent told her that there was no ticket there. Malaika was stunned.

At first, she had no idea what could have happened to it. The last time she had used her ticket was seven weeks before at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. There was no problem then.

The only explanation she could think of was that the ticket agent in Chicago had mistakenly kept the return trip section of her ticket.

She was given two options: Since the last time she had traveled was with United Airlineson which she had traveled within the U.S. and Canadashe could go to their office, which was located at another terminal. Perhaps they would give her another ticket. Or she could buy one!

Filled with fear and shock, Malaika panicked. It even passed through her mind that she might be having a nightmare, and would wake up.

Desperately, she prayed to Our Lady of Combermere and every saint she could think of. She tried to recite the "Prayer for Travelers" that Madonna House had said, but she couldn’t remember the words. But just knowing that Madonna House had said that prayer for her that morning consoled her.

She asked directions and found the air-train to the United Airlines Terminal. She cried all the way there.

"You’ve got to help me," she said to the agent there, and told her story. The agent was very nice, she said, and spent about 25 minutes on the computer checking out the situation. Then she gave her a replacement ticket.

Filled with relief and gratitude, Malaika thanked both the agent and Our Lady. Then she got on an air-train to return to the Air India terminal. By now, it was after four.

Suddenly she had an instinct that she was on the wrong air-train. She asked someone—and she was!

She got off, and, asking lots of people, found the right one. She continued asked directions when she got on the right one, and when it arrived at the Air India Terminal, several people called out at once, "This is it. Get off here."

By now she was blessing and thanking in her heart the people in Madonna House who had prayed for the travelers.

There was a long line at the check-in counter, but she had been told to go up front when she returned. When she tried to do that, people yelled at her to get at the back.

Fortunately, the same ticket agent was still there, recognized her, and motioned her to the counter.

When she presented her new ticket, the staff were amazed. They don’t usually give replacement tickets without an investigation, they told her, and that can take several hours. They had never heard of one being issued so quickly. You are very lucky, they told her.

"Not luck but prayers," she responded. If she had had copies of "A Prayer for Travelers," she would have given them to the staff.

Malaika was then checked through for her flight.

When she finally got on the plane, she cried with relief.

Just a couple of months ago, Malaika returned to Canada for a cousin’s wedding. While in the country, she returned for another visit to Madonna House. Here she was able to personally give thanks, especially to Our Lady of Combermere, for having come to her aid.

A PRAYER FOR TRAVELERS

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.

Our Lady of Combermere, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Way, pray for us.
St. Raphael, pray for us.
St. Frances of Rome, pray for us.
St. Joseph Cupertino, pray for us.
St. Martin de Porres, pray for us.
Our Lady of [the place where you are], pray for us.

May Our Lady cover us with the mantle of her love and keep us safe and bring us first to our earthly home and then to that of her Son in heaven.

About the Prayer

Madonna House has many customs, and one of them is praying for travelers. Whenever anyone at Madonna House, guest or staff, takes a trip, "A Prayer for Travellers" is said by all of us after breakfast. (We often say it ourselves, too, when we first get in the car.)

With all our comings and goings, especially in summer, there are times when the after-breakfast prayer is said almost daily.

Where did our custom of praying for travelers come from? As is the case with so many of our Madonna House customs, Catherine brought to us, her spiritual family, something that Christians in various cultures have been doing for centuries.

Traveling, with its dangers, storms, temptations, problems, joys, sorrows, and difficulties, has always been a symbol of life. This was especially true in the days before cars and trains and airplanes, the days when a journey was made on foot, on horseback, in a coach, on a ship or by some other simple mode of transportation.

In those days travel was fraught with grave dangers. It was, therefore, quite natural that Christians developed beautiful customs and traditions of praying over travelers when they departed and offering prayers of thanksgiving when they returned.

Part of the prayer that we use is a Polish prayer whose origins are lost in antiquity. Catherine translated it into English.

Why are these particular saints in this short litany? Each one has a special connection with traveling.

St. Raphael is the patron of pilgrim travelers. St. Martin de Porres had the gift of bi-location, and St. Joseph Cupertino once was literally flown to Rome (long before airplanes) on a special mission. Not surprisingly, during World War II, St. Joseph of Cupertino was made patron of aviators and air travelers. St. Frances of Rome is the patroness of Italian motorists.