Dear Religious Family,
“Where your treasure is, there your heart is also” (Mt 6:21), and our hearts are slaves of the Queen of La Plata and towards her we tend our affections, especially in the days of May, when we renew our filial love and prove once again that she is our Mother – and she pours infinite goodness into every moment of our lives.
In this brief chronicle we want to share with you the pilgrimage we made to Luján, for the Solemnity of Our Lady, with the communities of La Plata and Campo de Mayo.
Vigil
On Sunday evening, the 7th, a group of sisters participated in the Rosary, known as “Rosary of lights”, in the Basilica of Lujan, so called because in each Hail Mary a candle is lit in honor of the Virgin. In the sanctuary, the miraculous image was illuminated while the rest of the church was left in darkness. At midnight, we greeted Virgin with a song, sung by the Ernesto Storani Municipal Choir, accompanied by the grandiose pipe organ of the basilica which, according to the announcement, had not been used since 1975[1].
Holy Mass
On Monday, the 8th, we participated in the Holy Mass in the basilica, presided by Msgr. Guillermo Durán, historian and one of the promoters of the cause for the beatification of the Negro Manuel and Father Salvaire. In his homily, among other things, he asked the faithful to remember who was the person in each of our lives who taught us to love the Blessed Virgin, especially in her advocation of Luján.
Each one of us will have to someone to whom we can refer this grace, however, we can all say that the one who teaches us to know and love her more and more deeply is the Congregation, and we can do nothing but thank God for this gift, especially for the fourth vow of Marian slavery and be very faithful to this vow.
Place of the miracle
After singing the Hymn to the Virgin of Lujan and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father to gain the indulgences granted on this day, we went to Zelaya, to the area where the miracle of the cart took place. There we found the first replica of the Virgin of Lujan, and the place where the first little chapel of the Virgin was located. It is a countryside area, a place of silence and prayer, and we were accompanied by a beautiful sunny day.
On this day, just this day, they prepared to celebrate the Holy Mass outside the chapel of Negro Manuel, and on a small altar to the left of the altar was the image of Our Lady. In front of it we prayed two rosaries praying for our Religious Family.
Apostolic Proposal
As we know, our Religious Family is preparing with a novena of years for the 400th anniversary of the miracle of the cart. On the day of our pilgrimage, the priest in charge of the chapel at the place of the miracle was beginning the seven-year preparation. Thus, there they were distributing a leaflet to the faithful with a proposal: from that day, May 8, to make on the 8th of each month some particular offering to the Virgin, such as adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, works of mercy, activities with the different groups such as prayer gatherings, or pilgrimages. And he reminded that, undoubtedly, the most important thing is not the quantity or greatness of the activities, but the constancy and preparation with prayer and personal sacrifice. He also urged to spread this proposal to honor our Mother and pray for our country.
Convivium
After the pilgrimage, when we returned to the convent, we held an on-line Convivium with the communities of the province where songs, poetry and “payadas” in honor of the Virgin of Lujan were presented.
It was a day full of blessings, for which we cannot but give infinite thanks to God for having the Blessed Virgin Mary as our mother.
And to the Blessed Virgin we say: “You know who we are and that we need you. We are your slaves in maternal slavery of love, who want to do everything ‘through Mary, with Mary, in Mary and for Mary.’ You who stayed by the river of Luján, stay today and always very much in our hearts.” [2]
Sister Maria Filia Crucis
Our Lady of Buenos Aires Province
Footnotes:
[1] The Cavaillé Coll organ is today a unique testimony of French romantic organ building in South America. The tubular instrument consists of more than 4,000 pipes, three manuals (keyboards) and pedalboard, measures 14 meters in front and 7 meters deep and weighs 12 tons. It was manufactured in France at the end of the 19th century and donated to the Argentine Church in 1908. In 1998 it was declared a National Historic Monument. A work of art (Cf. https://hcdn.gob.ar/proyectos/proyecto.jsp?exp=2542-D-2015).
[2] From the prayer in honor of the Queen and Patroness of our Institute, the Virgin of Luján: “Beloved Mother!”
