This Sunday – Our Lady of Loreto, the Grand Patroness of SMA
Get your fiesta attire together, September is here in full force! This Sunday, a tradition dating back 300 years will be held: the fiesta of Our Lady of Loreto.
- At 6am a morning activity with the students of the Oratorio
- At 7:30am a morning Mass
- At 11am a Mass for the followers of Our Lady of Loreto
- At 12:30pm a solemn eucharistic celebration
- At 6:30pm
- At 7pm Holy Rosary and eucharistic blessings
The fiesta begins in the evening! As with any good fiesta, there will be folkloric dancing, music and food and drink for sale. It all takes place near the corner of Loreto and Insurgentes at the Santa Casa de Loreto.
The inhabitants used to ask for favors from the Virgin in hard times, like times of illness or drought. “There are documents with testimonies of miracles granted by this virgin, such as a recovery from illness,”
For such a special figure in religious history, she is celebrated this Sunday.
The Virgin is a popular symbol whic can be seen all around town if you look closely. The tradition comes from Loreto, Italy where it began to be celebrated in the 13th century.
According to Father Rodríguez of the Oratorio, the tradition is related to the Canal family; the Virgin’s image was brought from Italy to Veracruz and slowly made its way to San Miguel. In fact, a small church was erected at the Salida de Querétaro to receive the image. Then it was “with all the honors that she deserved, not just for being God’s mother, but also for the importance of the Canal family in town”.
