Lima's patron saint celebrated at cathedral

Intermountain Catholic

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Hundreds of Catholics gathered on Oct. 1 at the Cathedral of the Madeleine to celebrate ?El Señor de los Milagros,' the patron saint of Lima, Peru. The celebration included a procession, dances, poems, music and a lot of praying. IC Photo/Laura Vallejo

SALT LAKE CITY – Hundreds of Catholics gathered Oct. 1 in the Cathedral of the Madeleine to celebrate ‘El Señor de los Milagros,’ the patron saint of Lima, Peru.

Every October in Lima there are a host of ceremonies to celebrate Lima’s patron saint, El Señor de los Milagros (The Lord of Miracles) and Peruvians in Utah had the opportunity to celebrate this year as well.

At noon Oct. 1, an elaborate 2-ton litter adorned with silver, gold and flowers on which the image sits arrived to the Cathedral of the Madeleine after being received at the airport from Peru. It is an exact replica of the litter used in Peru.

The replica came about thanks to a faithful Catholic’s donation.

"Nicolas Vicente decided that our Lord here in Utah needed something better," said Alberto Miranda, president of the Peruvian community in Utah.

El Señor de los Milagros is symbolized by an image of Jesus Christ that was painted in colonial times on the walls of a poor church in the Pachacamilla plantation in Peru by an Angolan slave.

The painting, also known as ‘The Black Christ’ and the ‘Christ of Pachacamilla,’ portrays a dark-skinned Jesus Christ on the crucifix. Above the cross are God and the Holy Spirit; below is the Virgin Mary, her heart pierced with a spear of sadness. Mary Magdalene appears on the bottom right of the image.

October, or "purple month," marks the celebration of El Señor de los Milagros in Peru, with the main event taking place on the 18th.

In Utah the celebration was commemorated with a Mass at the Cathedral of the Madeleine, in which the image of El Señor de los Milagros was accompanied by the images of Our Lady of Guadalupe and La Virgen de Las Nubes, which is the Virgin of Ecuador.

At the end of the Mass, people gathered in the Pastoral Center, where the images were set on the litter while a poem was recited by Jorge Conde.

"We are devoted to el Senor de los Milagros," said Freddy Ramirez, a Catholic Peruvian who helped set the images. "Celebrating our Lord allows us [Peruvians] to share a little bit of our traditions and culture."

The procession began accompanied by the music and dances of the Gazani family as well as the dancers from the group NahuiEhecatl. The music was in charge of Ex-integrantes de la Guardia Republicana del Peru.

People walked several blocks as they sang, prayed and celebrated, ending at the Madeleine Choir School, where Mr. Pachin, accompanied by the Criollo Contigo Peru group, sang.

The entertainment for the celebration was diverse; among them, a dance by Endira Guitierrez, a musical performance by the duo Gianfranco and Durvin, another musical performance by Trio Renacer, Peruvian Group and dances such as la Marinera Nortena (a traditional dance from Peru) and the Chonguinda by Grupo de Paso Peruano.