Our Lady of the Rosary image visits Orem parish

IC photo/Laura Vallejo

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This statue of Our Lady of the Rosary was brought to St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Orem from Villa Corona, Jalisco, Mexico, the hometown of many parishioners.

OREM — Hundreds of faithful Catholics gathered at Saint Francis of Assisi Parish to celebrate the visit of an image of Our Lady of the Rosary, patroness of Villa Corona, Jalisco, Mexico, which arrived in Orem on April 30.

The festivities included a procession through the city streets as well as one in the parish parking lot, followed by the celebration of Mass.

The visit came about after Father Eleazar Silva Galvan, pastor of St. Francis, visited Villa Corona in November and arranged with Fr. Carlos Alberto Gomez, pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Villa Corona, for the image to travel to Utah, where many people from the Mexican city have established their lives and families.

“When the first Villa Coronenses arrived to this land to work and to look for a better future for their family here,” they were accompanied by “the sweet and gentle presence” of the Virgin of the Rosary, Fr. Silva said.

“Each time that her sons and daughters remember the land that they had to leave to look for a better future … and as they work hard and support their family here and there, they do it under the care of their mother, the Virgin,” he added.

The visit of the image of Our Lady of the Rosary to Orem “is the confirmation that she has always been here next to you here in Utah, taking care of your sons and daughters,” he said during the event.

For the visit and the procession and Mass, the parish’s different ministries worked for days to create the decorations, rehearse the songs, find matching outfits and clean their vestments. Among the participants were the parish’s altar servers, members of the religious education classes, various lay ministers, Aztec dancers, and members of the small communities, Pescadores de Cristo, the Knights of Columbus and hundreds of other parishioners, many from Villa Corona.

“For me, it is a great honor to be here today – it’s a great blessing, a miracle,” said Yaneli Sandoval, the parish bookkeeper, who is originally from Jalisco.

This was the first time that an image of the Virgin has visited the parish, and for Sandoval it was a special moment. “We needed this,” she said. “To have the image of our Mother visiting us is something that will keep our commitment to our faith.”

“For me this is very beautiful,” said Raul Aguayo, another parishioner who is originally from Villa Corona. “Our faith, our Catholic identity, is very alive here today in Utah.”

Those attending the Mass filled the church to overflowing. Fr. Silva welcomed them and Fr. Gomez, saying during the image’s visit Fr. Gomez also was pastor of the faith community, and exchanging vestments with him.

Concelebrating the Mass were Fr. Jaya Kumar Penugonda, the parish’s parochial vicar, and Fr. Gustavo Vidal, who previous served as the parish pastor and now is at St. Rose of Lima in Layton. Deacons Julio Palomino and Vicente Vasquez assisted at the celebration.

Among those who attended were Armando Ascension, mayor of Villa Corona.

In his comments, Fr. Gomez shared a story about Pope Benedict XVI, who, “when asked about his pastoral plan, answered, ‘More than a pastoral plan I have a pastoral attitude. I want to listen to the Church. I want to hear its voice. … From listening I will learn where the Church should walk,’” Fr. Gomez said, adding that this sentiment has influenced his life as a priest.

Fr. Gomez commended all the efforts parishioners made to receive the patroness of Villa Corona.

“It’s an honor that the image is here,” said Gladys Ontiveros, whose children helped carry the statue during the procession. “This is the first time that our parish has welcomed an image of our Mother that traveled from far away. It’s a big testimony of our faith.”

For the Ramos Lopez family, the event had special meaning, because they believe that through the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary, their mother survived a bad fall.

“No matter her representation, she is our Mother, who is always caring and looking out for us,” they said.     

The farewell Mass for the image of Our Lady of the Rosary is scheduled for noon on May 7.