By Archdiocese of Miami -
A longer version of this story was published in the September/October edition of the St. Augustine Catholic, the magazine of the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida’s oldest diocese.
By Lara Pantangan
ST. AUGUSTINE | It will be a ceremony fit for a queen as Catholics gather at the historic chapel at Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine for the canonical coronation of the image of Our Lady of La Leche.
This once-in-a-lifetime occasion will be only the fourth time a Marian image has received a canonical coronation in the United States. Bestowed by Pope Francis, this rare honor will take place Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine.
The image of the Blessed Virgin Mary breastfeeding the infant Jesus, a replica of which is housed in her shrine in St. Augustine, dates back to the 16th century in the Spanish city of Madrid, where she is called Nuestra Señora de La Leche y Buen Parto (Our Lady of the Milk and Happy Delivery).
Cardinal Carlos Osoro Sierra, archbishop of Madrid, will travel from Spain as a representative (papal legate) of Pope Francis to place the crown on the infant Jesus and his mother during the ceremony.
A procession from the cathedral to the national shrine — the oldest Marian shrine in the United States —will occur immediately after Mass. Pilgrims will be able to venerate the newly crowned image of Our Lady of La Leche on the mission grounds.
Granted by the Holy See, the Canonical Coronation of Our Lady of La Leche is in response to more than 400 years of devotion to this nursing Madonna. Bishop Felipe Estévez of St. Augustine credited this devotion with the gentleness of Mary’s maternal appeal.
“Since Mary is so tender, parents wanting a child have been very attracted to Our Lady of La Leche. A great number have gone to her and asked for a child and received it,” he said. “I wish we had kept better records of those testimonials. But they are there. Believe me.”
Bishop Estévez added that the canonical coronation of Our Lady of La Leche underscores the significant role Mary, as the Mother of God, plays in Christian discipleship. “She is important because God involved her in his plan of salvation,” he said. “She is a servant and full of humility, but God exalts her. We are celebrating her greatness.”
That greatness has been recognized for centuries and is part of what led Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios to receive national shrine status in 2019.
According to Father Christopher Liguori, pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Jacksonville, the devotion to Our Lady of La Leche is thought to have originated in a cave in Bethlehem where the Holy Family took refuge while fleeing Herod’s soldiers during the Slaughter of the Innocents. It is believed that as the Blessed Mother was nursing the Christ Child, a few drops of her milk spilled to the ground, turning the dark stones a chalky white. Miracles were attributed to the cave, and by the sixth century, pilgrims were venerating the site.
The image of the Blessed Virgin Mary breastfeeding the infant Jesus dates back to the 16th century in the Spanish city of Madrid, where she is called Nuestra Señora de La Leche y Buen Parto (Our Lady of the Milk and Happy Delivery). After learning of miracles associated with devotion to Our Lady of La Leche, King Philip III, the ruler at that time, personally undertook the erection of a shrine in her honor.
More than 20 years later, early Spanish settlers brought a replica to the United States and enshrined it at Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine. While it was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, a replica of the original statue currently reigns in the chapel.
The Catholic community is encouraged to participate in the three-day celebration Oct. 9-11. Due to the limited size of the Cathedral Basilica, the Mass is by invitation. However, a livestream of the Mass will be available. Visit coronation.dosafl.com for a schedule of the events, and a list of the parishes that will be livestreaming the Mass.
Bishop Estévez has said Catholics attending the coronation in person or by livestream at one of the parishes could satisfy their Sunday obligation. Communion will be available at all sites.
“A visible crowing of Mary helps Catholics in our diocese as well as pilgrims to understand that Mary merits the honor of the title because she played such an important role in bringing Christ the Redeemer into the world,” Father Liguori explained. “Therefore, it is a great honor for the Vatican to formally recognize Our Lady of La Leche as an authentic devotion worthy of a papal crowning.”
Doris Quinones has a strong devotion. The Orlando resident has been visiting the shrine since she was a teen. Still, she didn’t know much about Our Lady of La Leche. Having been unable to conceive a second child for more than 10 years, she found herself alone in the shrine and decided to ask for her intercession.
A few months later, she was pregnant with her daughter, whom she calls her miracle baby. “It was the one-on-one with her. Just me and her talking and conversing. She heard me, and she helped me.”
FIND OUT MORE
The Diocese of St. Augustine has several videos dedicated to the canonical coronation of Our Lady of la Leche on its YouTube channel:
- On the devotion to Our Lady of la Leche: https://youtu.be/RHgrJSRmUsM.
- How to make a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche: https://youtu.be/C0VJFj0j67s.
- What is a canonical coronation? https://youtu.be/1RMhSgl6VuU.
- How to participate in the canonical coronation of Our Lady of La Leche: https://youtu.be/Cao5NbooOn0.
- To learn more about the the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, visit: https://missionandshrine.org/
- For more information on the canonical coronation, visit: https://coronation.dosafl.com/.
