Later towards the end of the 16th century, it is believed the Virgin Mary appeared to a crippled boy (and also a son of a widow) in a place called Thittu, once again in the same town of Vailankanni. The boy is said to have offered buttermilk to the Virgin Mary and then he was cured of his illness. The boy was then commanded by Mary to tell a Catholic gentleman in the nearby town of Nagapattinam. The first shrine was built by this Catholic gentleman.