The Virgin of Chiquinquirá de Aregue returned to her sanctuary on Saturday with the requests of the people of Carora

At 4:00 in the morning on Saturday, October 5, the March of Faith, edition number 18, began for the first time from the San José de Calasanz parish, in Carora, Lara state.

Monsignor Carlos Enrique Curiel Herrera, bishop of the Diocese of Carora, gave a special blessing before the departure of the Virgin India towards the town of Aregue.

The procession from the temple of the Piarist fathers was also accompanied by pilgrims from other diocesan parishes and states such as Falcón. Along the way, parishioners who were waiting on the corners of Francisco de Miranda, 14 de Febrero and Fuerzas Armadas avenues joined in.

Among the tributes from the faithful, the Virgin of the Rosary received two serenades: one on 14 de Febrero Avenue, in front of Cecotorres, and another on Fuerzas Armadas Avenue, at the entrance to the El Roble urbanization.

The journey of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá was accompanied by many young people who carried banners with messages of faith and hope, as well as by families who attend with devotion every year.

In the 18th edition of the March of Faith, the pilgrims prayed the Holy Rosary, also accompanied by the seminarians of the Diocese of Carora, who marched with joy and devotion.

On the 12 kilometer journey to the town of Aregue, the Virgin arrived at 9:00 in the morning. The people waited for her with songs. Like every year, 2 kilometers before the sanctuary, the Sacred Canvas is taken down from the chiquimobile to be carried on its shoulders to its temple.

The encounter with the image of Saint Joseph was also a moving moment. It is customary that as soon as the dark-skinned Virgin sets foot on Aregueño soil, Saint Joseph, her traditionalist husband, comes out to receive her.

The entrance to his sanctuary was accompanied by applause, prayers and expressions of gratitude for the thousands of faithful.

At 10:37 in the morning, the Holy Eucharist of welcome began, presided over by the bishop, Monsignor Carlos Curiel, accompanied by the priests of the diocesan clergy.

The Bishop of Carora thanked God during his homily for allowing him to live this pilgrimage. “He who loves always responds promptly, that is why the gospel says: ‘Mary went hastily,'” he said.

The Aregue sanctuary will celebrate with its faithful on December 8 the 70th anniversary of the consecration of the temple adjacent to the old parish temple, which is the headquarters of the diocesan sanctuary.

The date remembers the episcopal consecration of the first diocesan bishop born in this land of Carol, Monsignor Eduardo Herrera Riera.

Father Ernesto Camacho, parish priest and rector of the diocesan sanctuary, states: «Jesus is standing, walking alongside us without ever moving, he never abandons us, he never leaves us alone. If you know that you are accompanied by Him, you will know that His light, His truth and His joy, and above all His life – with capital letters – will always remain in us and the tenderness of His mercy will reach us, which fills us with His peace and His hope”.

On October 6 was the solemnity of Our Lady of the Rosary Chiquinquirá de Aregue throughout the diocese of Carora and in the hearts of all its devotees.

The solemn Eucharist in honor of the Virgin of Chiquinquirá de Aregue was presided over by the Archbishop of Barquisimeto, Monsignor Polito Rodríguez Méndez, who was accompanied by the priests of the diocesan clergy and the parishioner.

Monsignor Rodríguez Méndez invited the people of Carora “to be better citizens.” “And we built that, from home,” he said.

This October 7, the Virgin of the Rosary is celebrated, an invocation that reminds us of the importance of affectionately addressing our mother in prayer, particularly through the recitation of the Holy Rosary. It was the Virgin Mary herself who asked us to pray it and make it known, so that we can obtain abundant graces.

By John Rosemary