The Diocese of La Altagracia is preparing to receive this Saturday thousands of pilgrims from different parts of the country and abroad who, like every year, come to the Higuey Basilica to venerate the protective and spiritual mother of Dominicans who believe in that Marian devotion.
With the festivity, the municipality of Higüey is activated: commerce, hotels, transit and other aspects, but not only that day people go to the sanctuary, since it is the custom of some parishioners that the pilgrimage begins with the novena and they come to offer their promises days before the 21st to avoid crowding.
There are so many people who move on the 21st that the authorities used to carry out a prevention and assistance operation for parishioners through the various State relief institutions under the umbrella of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to avoid traffic accidents and assist pilgrims in whatever is necessary.
Similarly, The National Police announced for this Saturday a preventive operation throughout the national territoryespecially in the Higüey municipality.
The celebration of 21
Since the Basilica was inaugurated, in 1971, it has become customary for all presidents to go to the sanctuary, together with officials and main collaborators to participate in the solemn mass presided over by the bishop on the occasion of the Altagracia Day.
This Saturday will be the third visit that the president will make Luis Abinader to the sanctuary with his wife Raquel Arbaje and they plan to attend the solemn Eucharist at 10:00 in the morning.
After the closing of the novena, this Friday the 20th, the strongest period begins with the prayer vigil and praise in honor of the virgin and the Marian concert sponsored every year by Banco Popular.
Today, at 1:00 in the afternoon, and on the 21st at the same time, there will be Masses in Creole for Haitian devotees, in addition to the normal celebrations for the occasion ending with the solemn mass. At 4:30 in the afternoon of the 21st is the procession led by Bishop Jesús Castro Marte, through the streets of the municipality with the image of the Virgin accompanied by the Army Music Band of the Dominican Republic.
Origin of devotion
In his book “Where the Orange Tree Appeared”, the first bishop of Higüey, Monsignor Juan Félix Pepén, (died in July 2007), narrates the testimony of a man named Juan Elías Moscoso who in 1907 refers to one of the Trejo brothers that was dedicated to raising and selling cattle.
He says that one of the brothers had two daughters and on one of his trips to the capital, from Higüey where he lived, the girls asked him for gifts from the city: one asked for dresses, ribbons, shoes, but the other only asked for the image of the Virgin of La Altagracia, since she had seen her in a dream.
Monsignor Pepén explains that the father did not find the painting his daughter asked for, but that on his return home he stayed at a friend’s inn and, lamenting that he had not been able to please his daughter, a man who shared in the place he gave him the image of the virgin in a painting.
The girl, after receiving the gift of the painting of the Virgin, presented to the inhabitants the image she had dreamed of in a place where there was an orange tree (which has been replanted for years) and since then the Virgin has been venerated de la Altagracia in that place where a church was built.
But there were so many people who came to venerate the virgin in that place, that in 1954 it was decided to build a sanctuary-Basilica with modern “brutalist” style architecture, in reinforced concrete, with capacity for 3,000 people, which was inaugurated by the then President Joaquín Balaguer, on January 21, 1971.
At present there are many who visit the place and stay up to three days before the 21st and sleep in the surroundings of the basilica as part of their penance. Parishioners come not only from the different provinces organized by parishes or individually, but also from Haiti, Puerto Rico, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the United States and other nations.
ingrained invocation
Fray Santiago Batista, interviewed by Free Daily about the celebration of Altagracia Day affirms that the dedication of Altagracia has walked with the history of the country.
“Mary continues to captivate the Dominican people, people understand that in Mary there continues to be a powerful intercession and protection in their life of faith,” maintains the religious
He stated that as priests they are in charge of guiding the Dominican people about what the Virgin Mary has meant in the history of salvation and that is why so many people are present at the Basilica on January 21 to venerate the Virgin for favors received. .
“We cannot stop or detract from the value or merits of the faith of a people who acclaim night and day this woman who has given so much to humanity and has captivated so many hearts.”
