After a break for a couple of years due to the Lockdown Crisis, Argentina's Señor y Virgen Del Milagro returned to the city of Salta this week with large crowds honouring Our Lady and Our Lord.
In 1582, the city of Salta was founded by Don Hernando de Lerma. The first bishop of the diocese was Fray Francisco de Victoria, who returned to Spain and decided to commission a piece of art as his show of thanks. The artwork was an image of Christ, but disaster struck as it returned to Argentina. The boat carrying the artwork was run aground on its way into the shore.
This is where the miraculous nature of the image begins. An inscription that it was dedicated to the people of Salta led to it being carried 2,800km on the back of a mule.
Then, a century later in 1692, an earthquake hit the region followed by loud tremors in Salta. As the people feared for the destruction of their city like nearby ones, they found the image of Christ that had been sent to them a hundreds years earlier, lying forgotten. Jesuit priest, Rev. José Carrión, began to ask that "the Crucified Lord, who had been forgotten, be brought out in public procession, so that the tremors would stop."
Again in the 1800s and in 1948, the people of Salta prayed for an end to earthquakes and their request was granted. They made a promise to remain faithful to the Lord, inspired by the images of Christ and Our Lady.
Now, each year, a large procession takes place where people renew their devotions to Our Lord through the streets of Salta.
An estimated 200,000 celebrated this year's events, with some even recreating parts of the 2,800km journey once made by the image on the back of a mule.
It is incredible to see the richness of Spanish pilgrimage and pageantry still alive not just in the Holy Week celebrations in Seville but also those in South America.
The decline of pilgrimage as an expression of worship was largely a result of the Reformation, it is something that we should reverse together as a church. There are people who cannot walk 5 minutes to their closest Mass on a Sunday but will walk for 5 days to honour Our Lord, it is a phenomenon worth pondering.
Hundreds of Thousands Honour Our Lord At Argentina Pilgrimage
