Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Asuncion (Agenzia Fides) – Some 300,000 persons participated in a special Mass celebrated on December 8, in honor of Our Lady of Caacupé, in the city of Caacupé, at about 54 kilometers from Asuncion. Catholics from all over the country crowded into the Basilica of Caacupé. Some made the pilgrimage on foot from towns like Ypacarai, Luque; others came on bicycle. It was also the first time in seven years that the celebrations were attended by the President of the Republic, Fernando Lugo. The light was a dominant symbol of festivities in Caacupe and the lay faithful brought candles to be lit prior to the Mass.
The main Mass was presided by Bishop Claudio Gimenez of Caacupé, and concelebrated by various bishops of the country and the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Orlando Antonini. Bishop Gimenez, during the homily, called for unity in the government in order to avoid “the dispersion of the people, who are tired of the backbiting.” He also called for a Paraguay with “its own identity.” “We want our country to have its own identity, its own personality, free from any negative influences that do not lead to reconciliation and, instead, lead to a progressive distancing between Paraguayans.” The Bishops also indicated that the government should make every effort to reach full unity, because “if a government is not united, does not come together, the people tend to disperse.” He said that it should be a unity like the unity that exists between Jesus and His Father, which is why the Church founded by Jesus Christ is a school of communion. Bishop Gimenez affirmed that “all this implies a strong sacramental life, a practical, real faith that is lived each day with affection towards my brother, in the form of greater efforts, spirit of community, work as a team and communion and exchange of spiritual and material goods, especially with those most in need of our mercy and solidarity.”
He also recalled that the family is where one begins to live this communion. “There, in that domestic Church, we all learn to live as brothers. In the family, we learn to forgive, suffer, pray, and celebrate life; we learn to work, play, study, and love. The mission of the family is to show its members how to live on a small-level the Church's unity at its roots, as well as the love for one's nation.” Other areas where communion should be lived are in the various different groups, movements, religious communities, parish councils, and in the diocese...each giving his best. In this respect, the Bishop mentioned that they “have the noble and delicate mission of being a good shepherd, a uniting principle.” The clergy, the ecclesial movements, the diocesan councils, and the parishes and institutes of consecrated life “all have the duty to offer their own specific contribution,” in order to help the faithful to live as members of the Church.
At the close of the Mass, the Archbishop of Asuncion and the President of the Paraguayan Bishops' Conference, Archbishop Pastor Cuquejo launched the Continental Mission that will take place in the country in 2009.
The feast of Our Lady of Caacupé is considered one of the greatest religious celebrations in Paraguay, and it dates back to the 17th Century, when a legend says that “one morning a group of Mbayaes Indians were chasing a Guarani with the intention of killing him. In an act of desperation, the indian took refuge behind a huge tree” and asked Our Lady, under the invocation of the Immaculate Conception, to save him, promising that in exchange he would carve her image out of the wood of that tree. The would-be killers lost sight of the young indian, who later fulfilled his promise and carved two statues: one for a nearby Church and the other, a bit smaller, for popular devotion. The smaller one, now called “Our Lady of the Miracles” is what is venerated in the city of Caacupé. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 10/12/2008)
