While Wednesday is overflowing with people praying the novena, there is also no let up in people coming and going from the shrine on weekdays.  Unlike on Wednesdays, however,  in ordinary days, devotees come on intermittent times. Also most of the people who come on ordinary days spend more of their time in silent and private prayer.  Often, they just sat or kneel in silence gazing at the icon. Emily, a devotee, explained that while she goes to the shrine every Wednesday, she would also come during “less busy” days like Tuesday or Thursday as well because she appreciated the solitude. “When you ask for something, it is better if you are just alone when talking to her [Virgin Mary]. I think that God can hear my prayers better if I pray by myself,” she claimed. Lastly, she recounted that there were times when she did not finish the novena prayers. At some point, she would stop participating and would pray in her own words. “I prefer that because I can really talk to her [Virgin Mary],” she explained.

 

Many people could also be seen walking on bended knees from the entrance up to the sanctuary of the shrine. This show that many who flocked to the shrine and call on the perpetual help of God through the intercession of Mary are those most desperate: the sick, unemployed, frustrated, lost, loveless, suffering. Destitute as they are, spiritually or materially, they open their hearts to reach out to God and to fellowmen and women in despair.

 

Being a shrine and not a parish has likewise augmented the nurturing of a prayerful atmosphere. It is common to see people walking on their knees from the front door along the center aisles. Some simply remain on their knees in prayer.