Mary: Mother, presence and symbol (part 3)

Monday, October 22, 2018

*Rogelio Zelada - Office of Lay Ministry

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Last of three parts, on how popular Marian devotions have been the providential channel that has nourished, maintained and enriched the faith of Latin American believers. (Read part 1 here and part 2 here.)

Paraguay

A Guarani Indian harassed by the fierce mbayés saves his life by taking refuge inside the thick trunk of a tree. There, he invokes the protection of the Mother of Heaven and, with gratitude, decides to carve an image of the Immaculate Conception with wood from the saving tree. A long time later, after Lake Yparacay overflows, this image is found floating, perfectly stored inside a sealed case. The image, which stands just 50 centimeters (about 20 inches) tall, is the blue Virgin of Paraguay, its patroness, Our Lady of Miracles of Caacupé.

Peru 

At the beginning of the 16th century, a beautiful image of Our Lady of Mercy was enthroned and recognized as patroness of the Peruvian capital. In 1730, it was patroness of the fields of Peru, of the weapons of the Republic, and Great Marshall of Peru, to whom the chapter of Lima granted the Keys of the City, and upon whom the country’s presidency imposed the Great Cross of Naval Merit. Our Lady of Mercy shares the love of her people with the devotion to Our Lady of Evangelization and the image of the Assumption of Mary, carved by an order from the family of the conqueror Pizarro. She was crowned in 1985 and received the Golden Rose from the hands of Saint John Paul II, who officially proclaimed her patroness of the Archdiocese of Lima.

Puerto Rico

Born in Italy in the 13th century, the devotion to Our Lady of Divine Providence was taken to the island of Puerto Rico by Bishop Gil Esteve y Tomás, who had to place his whole diocese under her protection after finding both its cathedral and finances in ruins. The image, crafted in 1853, was enthroned in the cathedral, where a more modern copy continues to receive the love of her boricua children. In November 1976, the original image was burned in a vile act of religious fanaticism. Nevertheless, the charred image was crowned amid her people’s pain, and in front of cardinals, archbishops and bishops from all over Latin America who had congregated on the island for a meeting of CELAM, the Latin American bishops conference. Currently, the image has been beautifully restored, much to the joy of all Puerto Ricans, who long to build her a national shrine.

Uruguay 

Crafted in the 18th century in the Jesuit missions of Paraguay, the small image of the Immaculate Conception was transferred in 1779 to what today is known as the city of Florida. The nation’s founding fathers, the so-called 33 Easterners, landed on the beach of la Agraciada to launch their battle for the country’s freedom. Upon arriving at Florida, they prayed before the small image of Mary and placed at her feet the destiny of the nascent nation. When they obtained independence, Aug. 25 of that same year, they returned anew before the image to place under her protection the Republic of Paraguay. That is why the people spontaneously began calling her Our Lady of the 33. The sacred image and her church were declared historical monuments in 1975 and in 1962 Saint John XXIII proclaimed her patroness of Paraguay.

Venezuela

The Coromoto Indians have abandoned their lands, headed for the headwaters of the Tucupido River. They want nothing to do with the whites, nor the new religion they profess. Rebellious and isolated, one dawn in 1651, the tribal chief and his wife become disconcerted by an extraordinary vision. Above the roaring waters of the river, a beautiful, sweet lady invites them to leave the forest and go where the white people are, to be baptized and so be able to enter heaven. The tribal chief obeys but cannot get used to living outside the forest and so he returns. Once more, the lady allows herself to be seen, this time in the chief’s hut, surrounded by splendor. Infuriated, the chief takes up his weapons and extends his hand to grab her. The vision disappears, but the Virgin has left in his hand a tiny holy card imprinted with her image, Our Lady of Coromoto. Since 1944, she is the official patroness of the Republic of Venezuela, crowned by Saint John Paul II in 1985.

Haiti 

A terrible smallpox epidemic has caused great suffering among the Haitian people. It’s 1883 and the people head on masse toward the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help brought to Haiti by Redemptorist Missionaries, because she is patroness of their congregation. Miraculously, the epidemic ceases and the devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help increases and extends throughout the country. The image of Mary with the child in her arms is an ancient Byzantine icon from Crete, possibly painted in the 11th century. Pope Pius IX in 1865 entrusted the Redemptorists with “spreading the devotion around the whole world.” In 1983, during his pastoral visit to Haiti, which coincided with the 100th anniversary of the miracle, Saint John Paul II places the nation under the maternal care and special protection of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. 

This Marian map that covers all of America has left extraordinary experiences with strong roots in the culture and identity of our peoples. They have marked them with a warm emotional tinge that emanates from the heart and is based on daily life, because the Virgin is an inexhaustible source of hope for everyone.

The Marian devotions of Latin America possess a powerful power of convocation mixed with the taste of popular celebration. They are linked with faith and the journey toward the Gospel of Christ, the Son of Mary. She, the mother of all the peoples of the New World, in her multiple manifestations, stories and legends, stands at the nexus of nationality, of shared community experience, and of a way of feeling and being that is common to all, that defines, encourages and constantly accompanies. A richness that fills, above all, those who are capable of opening their hearts to the action of God with simplicity and familiarity.