The motto with which La Chinita will leave its niche this year

The parish priest of the Basilica of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá, Nedward Andrade, reported that everything is now ready for celebrate the patron saint festivities of the Virgin Morena which begin with the solemn lowering of its niche scheduled for this October 26 at 5:00 pm.

The customary Eucharist will be presided over by Monsignor Enrique Pérez, bishop of Maturín, under the motto “Chiquinquirá, path of hope and peace, 125 years dedicated to its son!”.

On November 18, when the day of the Virgin of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá is celebrated, marabinos and visitors will attend the mass that will begin at 5:00 pm and will be presided over by the new apostolic nuncio of the Vatican in Venezuela, Monsignor Alberto Ortega .

The nuncio has a very special sensitivity towards Chinita, because before accepting his mission in Venezuela, he worked as nuncio in Chile and we know that there is a strong presence of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá there. Upon hearing about La Chinita, he showed great willingness and interest in getting to know our people and in directly contemplating Our Blessed Mother in the sacred relic,” he explained.

Other activities

For Sunday, October 20 The cloaks that the relic of the Virgin will wear will be revealed and the following Sunday, October 27, The replica will go out in a lake procession through the water towns, from the Malecón of Maracaibo.

These celebrations honor the 125 years of consecration of Venezuela to the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, “pointing the way to God in the hearts of the Zulians and in the real presence of Jesus Christ in unity, communion, fraternity, peace, love, justice and all that is longs to live as a true family of children of God,” said the parish priest.

“We will not only celebrate the 315 years of miraculous renewal, but also the 82 years of the Canonical Coronation of Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá and the 125 years of the Consecration of Venezuela to the Blessed Sacrament”he explained

The Jubilee Year or Holy Year, which begins in December of this year and will continue throughout 2025, is supported by the papal bull “Hope does not disappoint,” and will also be part of the celebrations in honor of the Virgin.

“For the entire world, for Venezuela, for us, as a family, it is necessary that with our faith placed in God we can travel along the paths of hope in the midst of adversity founded on the love of God and the Gospel. This Holy Year invites us to charity, but in a special way to help our brothers most in need,” he said.

Works in the Sanctuary Basilica

In the Basilica Sanctuary, a series of works are being carried out within the framework of the 2023 patron saint festivities in honor of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá and that seek to rescue the physical structure of the temple that it needed due to the passage of time.

This descent of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá hopes to receive thousands of parishioners who will renew their faith and devotion / Courtesy José Ángel Núñez

Among them, the parish priest highlighted “the painting of the entire interior part of our large house, the Basilica, which includes all the frescoes and works of art. This work is carried out by the government through the Ministry of Public Works. These works are 70% complete.”

“One of the flagship projects that we have been carrying out since 2023 and that we currently maintain with a lot of effort, love and dedication, is the grandparents’ dining room, where we will provide lunches to elderly people in a state of vulnerability from Monday to Friday and that we hope to be able to extend until Saturday and Sunday,” he said.

Ortega said that for this year, there is work in progress that will increase the dimensions of the Chiquinquirá sanctuary.

The San Juan de Dios Pastoral Center, formerly the Inavi building, which will be dedicated to religious, cultural, entertainment and gastronomic events, which will make the activity in the vicinity of our Basilica Sanctuary even greater,” he said.

The first stage of this work was initiated by the Venezuela Bella Mission carried out by the National Government, said Andrade.

The Sanctuary Basilica has a new vehicle fleet made up of a bus destined to transport the members of the Religious Society Servants and Daughters of Mary and a new María Mobile that will transport the Sacred Replicas and the Relic of Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá in all their transfers.

This year the descent of Our Lady of Chiquinquirá expects to receive thousands of parishioners, devotees and foreigners who, like every year, gather in the small square of the Basilica to welcome the patron saint of the Zulians, when she once again meets with his town.