A solemn Mass honoring Our Lady of Charity comes to the Coral Way fairgrounds on Tuesday, Sept. 8, capping a weeks-long pilgrimage across South Florida.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski of the Archdiocese of Miami will preside over the Mass at the Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition, 10901 Coral Way. The celebration marks the feast day of the Patron of Cuba, a date of deep significance for the area's Cuban-American community.
Cuban independence war veterans petitioned in 1915 for Our Lady of Charity to be recognized as the Patron of Cuba. Pope Benedict XV accepted the petition the following year and established the feast day
Gates open at 5 p.m. A rosary begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by a parade of the archdiocese's apostolic movements. The pilgrim image of Our Lady of Charity is scheduled to enter the venue at 7:30 p.m., with the Mass starting at 8 p.m., Diario las Américas reported.
The evening celebration is the culmination of "Caminando con Su Pueblo" ("Walking with Her People"), a two-weekend pilgrimage organized by the Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad, the national shrine on Biscayne Bay. The shrine receives thousands of visitors each year.
The first caravan visited nine churches across southern Miami-Dade on Aug. 22. The second leg, on Aug. 29, stopped at 10 parishes stretching from Miami to Hollywood, including St. Dominic Catholic Parish, St. Cecilia and Santa Bárbara in Hialeah, Our Lady of the Lakes in Miami Lakes, and St. Bernadette in Hollywood. In all, the pilgrim image visited 19 religious communities over the two weekends.
Father José Joaquín Espino, rector of the shrine, said the initiative brings spiritual preparation closer to communities far from La Ermita. When the shrine announced the program in late August, Espino invited everyone to join what he called a beloved path of faith.
A novena running from Aug. 30 through Sept. 7 features daily rosary and Mass led by different congregations. Before the evening Mass, the image will be displayed at the Malecón of La Ermita from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m..
Upcoming:
- Tuesday, Sept. 8 — Our Lady of Charity feast day Mass, Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition, 10901 Coral Way. Gates at 5 p.m., Mass at 8 p.m.
