The Lord of the Miracles
Recently I came across an Instagram post of Fr. James Martin, SJ filming a special Peruvian Catholic devotion called the Lord of the Miracles in New York City. It reminded me of the traffic jam I was in last week in Hartford, Connecticut when the same procession slowly snaked it’s way through the surrounding streets. I was awed by the pageantry and beauty of the faith, expressed in the unique history and culture of Peru. Here is what it is about. Fr. Carl Chudy, SX
Thousands of worshippers dressed in purple robes paraded a revered icon through Peru’s capital this week in a tradition dating from 1687 when a mural depicting the same image of Jesus escaped unscathed in a powerful earthquake.
The procession of the Señor de los Milagros (Lord of Miracles), a mural picturing a dark-skinned Christ that is said to have been painted in a shrine by an Angolan slave, has drawn crowds of Roman Catholic devotees for centuries.
The icon is a copy of the mural, which is revered for its powers to cure the sick and protect against tremors in the Andean country. Originally worshipped by Afro-Peruvians, the Señor de los Milagros has become Peru’s best-known icon and has inspired worshipers around the world.
“The image survived the great earthquake of October 20, so now it is believed that miracles occur in October,” said Manolo Ganoza Quino, a member of the brotherhood that takes turns bearing the heavy replica enshrined in gold on their shoulders during a 14-hour procession through Lima.
Facing the image, groups of women in lace veils walked backward, lending their voices to a solemn marching band and fanned incense toward the image adorned with bunches of lilies and heart-shaped charms made of tin. President Alan Garcia and his son Federico Danton, also dressed in purple habits, saluted the icon from the balcony of the government palace.
From a story for Reuters by Emily Schmall
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