A multitude of excited faithful from different parts of the province participated this Thursday in the traditional procession of the Lord and the Virgin of the Miracle in Salta, after two years in which, due to the pandemic, this celebration was modified, considered one of the most convening of the Catholic Church in the country.
“Argentina has the right to be a better Nation”expressed the Archbishop of Salta, Monsignor Mario Cargnello, who later told the faithful “you are proof that a better Argentina is possible. That is why we have hope.”
The archbishop spoke this Thursday afternoon, in the 20 de Febrero park, in the capital of Salta, where the Renewal of the Loyalty Pact with the Lord and the Virgin of the Miracle was celebrated, in an act in which Governor Gustavo Sáenz participated. .
#NOW the Seasonal Mass is held in the Basilica Cathedral.
?#Live through the social networks of @GobiernoSalta.#jump #GovernmentPresent pic.twitter.com/EfhLJWPgqX
— Press and Communication Department (@SDCSalta) September 15, 2022
During his homily, Cargnello asked to bet on “a Homeland of brothers” and he remarked that “hope is a source of joy, even in the midst of suffering, because it gives us the certainty that life has the last word, not death; good, not evil; love, not selfishness”.
“All of humanity feels the impact of a pandemic that has paralyzed peoples and nations. It has claimed lives, affected economies, impacted families, wounded our psychological reserves,” he said, adding that “the war born from the invasion of Ukraine by of Russia, puts the whole world at risk”.
Cargnello considered that politics “cannot be the disguised prolongation of a state of war, but the overcoming of it in a climate of peace and dialogue that must be nurtured every day knowing how to sacrifice egomania, mystification, and absurd arrogance.”
The images of the Lord and the Virgin of the Miracle toured the streets of the city of Salta during this sunny and warm afternoon, in procession, after two years in which the coronavirus pandemic forced this popular religious celebration to be modified.
At 3:15 p.m. the Processional Cross left the Cathedral Basilica of Salta, and fifteen minutes later the image of the Virgen de las Lágrimas did the same, while at 3:45 p.m. the Virgen del Milagro departed, on a cloud of white carnations, already At 16:30 the Lord of the Miracle did the same.
“We are here, seeing the Lord and the Virgin of the Miracle, super excited, after two years of restrictions and a pandemic. Today we find ourselves rejoicing with joy and moved by this reunion of faith,” Romina Morelli told Télam, with tears in her eyes.
And I add: “We live the Miracle with much love, but above all with the hope that we are going towards something much better.”
For her part, Alejandra Ramos agreed on the “great emotion” felt at being able to “be next to the images of the Miracle”, and revealed that she was “surprised by the number of people” in the procession.
#NOW The Procession in Honor of the Lord and the Virgin of the Miracle is carried out.
?#Live through the social networks of @GobiernoSalta #jump #GovernmentPresent pic.twitter.com/rSYhliuo7b
— Press and Communication Department (@SDCSalta) September 15, 2022
With its base of red carnations, the life-size image of the Crucified Christ departed accompanied by Cargnello; Governor Gustavo Sáenz, and other ecclesiastical and government authorities.
After traveling about 15 blocks, the procession arrived at the February 20 monument, where Cargnello delivered his homily and prayer for the Renewal of the Fidelity Pact, after which the verses of the National Anthem were sung and the return to the Cathedral was undertaken.
There, the images were fired by the crowd, with chimes, waving white handkerchiefs and a shower of white, pink and red petals, as well as numerous displays of emotion and tearful faces.
Once the images entered the temple, the traditional Pilgrim’s Mass was officiated, with which the celebration concluded.
“Today we live a special day, where the Lord and the Virgin of the Miracle walked the streets of our beloved Salta,” said Sáenz after the procession, adding: “A faith that unites peoples, moves crowds and fills hearts.”
Then, he said: “With deep emotion, together with thousands of faithful, we renew the pact of fidelity with our Patron Saints”, whom he asked to “bless our province and all the people of Salta”.
On the morning of this Thursday, the last day of the Triduum of Pontificals took place, with a seasonal mass in honor of the Solemnity of the Lord of the Miracle, officiated by the Bishop of Jujuy, Monsignor Daniel Fernández, in the atrium of the Cathedral.
In addition, the pilgrim images traveled in vehicles 28 kilometers through different neighborhoods of the capital of Salta, so that the neighbors can greet them as they pass.
In this way, this traditional festival, which this Thursday celebrates 330 years of history since the tremors that affected the current territory of the province of Salta ceased with the departure of the temple of the Crucified Christ, in 1692, returned to normal.
In 2020, when a peak of Covid-19 cases was recorded in Salta, the procession was not carried out, and last year it was carried out, but without the follow-up of the faithful, who had to follow the passage of the images virtually or from the sidewalks, with capacity, to prevent the spread of contagion of the disease.
Until this Wednesday, nearly 100,000 pilgrims from different parts of the Salta territory and from other provinces arrived at the Cathedral of Salta, for the encounter with the images of the Miracle, by bicycle, on horseback and fundamentally on foot, in exciting demonstrations of faith and devotion.
The arrival of the pilgrims each year generates a whole network of volunteers in different parts of the province, mainly in the city of Salta, who assist them with food, drink, foot washing and other attention.
In addition, 5,000 police officers were in charge of the procession security operation, while Samec also designed a health operation with the participation of 200 people, including doctors, nurses, drivers and support staff.
To these were added 250 rescuers; human resources of the Municipality of Salta, Volunteer Firefighters of the City, SAME Jujuy and the Ramón Carrillo Higher Institute, among other organizations.
