At my three parish assignments as a priest in Camden I was blessed to serve and minister with thriving Hispanic communities. At the Parish of the Holy Cross in Bridgeton, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Shrine in Lindenwold, and now at Sacred Heart Parish in Camden, I have experienced the richness and diversity of Hispanic culture.
Throughout our diocese, the beauty and diversity of Hispanic culture is displayed in many ways such as food, dance, dress and family custom. An important custom I love and respect is how our Hispanic brothers and sisters honor the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Blessed Mother is the Mother of us all, and like any good mother she comes to us as we are and where are.
The feast days of the Blessed Mother are special days in Latin America, with processions, fireworks and festive gatherings. Not only does each country honor the Virgin Mary in a unique way, but cities within countries have special and unique celebrations.
When I studied Spanish in Aguascalientes, Mexico, the city of over 1 million people practically shut down with processions and festivals for a week in August to honor Our Lady of the Assumption. In September at Sacred Heart Parish in Camden, the Cuban Community of Saint Joan of Arc Church celebrated Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre or Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre.
The story behind this devotion is that two Native Americans and an African slave child were facing a storm in their tiny boat. Frightened, the three prayed to Mary for her protection. Suddenly, the skies cleared and the storm was gone. In the distance, they saw a strange object floating in the water. It was a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus on her left arm and holding a gold cross in her right hand. The statue was fastened to a board with an inscription saying “Yo Soy la Virgen de la Caridad” or “I am the Virgin of Charity.”
Each of the many Hispanic cultures in our diocese has a similar story of faith to tell with great love and devotion. For example, our friends from the Dominican Republic honor Our Lady of La Altagracia, our friends from Puerto Rico honor Our Lady of Divine Providence, and our neighbors from El Salvador pray to Our Lady of Peace.
Of course, the most well-known and largest celebration in our diocese centers around Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of Mexico and Patroness of all the Americas.
Devotion to the Blessed Mother is not unique to Hispanic Catholics, as all families seem to have special ways to pray to Mary. My family always prayed to Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal.
As we enter into October, the month of the Holy Rosary, let’s commit to praying the rosary, the prayer Our Blessed Mother urged us to pray at Fatima. As the children at Fatima prayed for peace in the world, pray in a special way for peace here at home in the United States. Pray for an end to the violence that tears apart our communities, and pray for an end to the sins of racism and prejudice.
We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, with one mother in heaven. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Father Vince Guest is pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Camden.
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