Feast
of Señor de los Milagros
For
people from Peru, the feast of "Our Lord of Miracles" is a national
feast and at St. Brigid's the celebration begins with nine days of
prayer in the homes of different parishioners.
Then on Saturday night, a dance was held in Msgr. Code Auditorium, enjoyed by families. The dance featured a live band and folkloric dancers doing traditional story-dances from Peru.
A special outdoor mass and procession was held on Sunday. The image of Señor de los Milagros is carried in procession. A band and women with incense accompany the procession with the Hermandad (society) of Señor de los Milagros dressed in their traditional purple capes.
Saint
Brigid says...*
Señor de
los Milagros has African Roots
There was in the 17th century in the city
of Lima, capital of Peru, a brotherhood of black men from Angola who
lived in the neighborhood of Pachacamilla. They raised a building and
on one of the walls one of the brothers painted a beautiful image of Christ
crucified. On the 13th of November, 1655 a strong earthquake shook Lima
and the port of Callao destroyed many buildings causing the death of several
thousand people. The Angolans who were very poor suffered much, all the
walls of the brotherhood's building collapsed-- all except one, the one
with the painting of Christ crucified was perfectly preserved.
Fifteen years after the earthquake a man
named Antonio de Leon, of the San Sebastian Parish, found the
image of the Lord on what was then a forgotten site, and began to venerate
it. Antonio was suffering from
a malignant tumor in his head, and after he prayed in front of the Image
and asked the Lord to heal him. A
miracle occurred when he was miraculously healed. God has done many miracles
through this image.
Several times earthquakes have destroyed
the building where the miraculous image stands, and always the
wall on where the image is painted has been spared and undamaged! Countless
healings, physical as well
as spiritual have occurred. From its humble origins the devotion and veneration
to the image of the Lord of
Miracles has grown to national and international proportions. Peruvians
who have immigrated to the United States and other parts of the world,
have brought with them this beautiful devotion to our Crucified Lord and
have formed brotherhoods ("hermandad") to keep the devotion
alive for them, their children and grandchildren. In all the cities where
the brotherhoods have been formed (as in Westbury) , Masses and processions
in honor of the Lord of the Miracles take place every year on, or close
to October 18. The original painting was only of the Crucified Christ,
the figures of the Virgin and St. Mary Magdalene were painted in 1671.
* Throughout this website look for the "Saint Brigid says" feature to learn little known facts!
You are Person
