Around 50 pilgrims from the dioceses of Toledo, Mérida-Badajoz, Coria-Cáceres and Plasencia are making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land for the laying of the first stone of what will be the chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe, in the Campo de los Pastores, in the vicinity of the city of Bethlehem. This pilgrimage takes place from October 2 to 9.
The pilgrimage is presided over by the Archbishop of Toledo and Primate of Spain, Monsignor Francisco Cerro Chaves, who is accompanied by the Pro-Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Toledo, D. Raúl Muelas.
One of the most important moments of this pilgrimage took place on the morning of October 6, in the town of Beit Sahour, whose population is mostly Christian, and where the well-known Campo de los Pastores is located, in the vicinity of the city. of Bethlehem, belonging to the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.
The solemn ceremony began in what is known as the Grotto of the Shepherds, where the Eucharistic concelebration presided over by Don Francisco Cerro took place, in which the Franciscan priests, P. Silvio de la Fuente, responsible for the Custody of the Earth, participated Santa for this place, and Fr. Manuel Lama, closely linked to Extremadura, as well as D. Raúl Muelas and other priests participating in the pilgrimage.
Bishop Cerro expressed, during his homily, the joy that the construction of the future chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe entails, in this place “so unique and of so much joy because of the connection it has with the joy received by the shepherds before the birth of the Savior.
At the end of the Eucharist, Don Francisco Cerro gave all the pilgrims a small image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, embodied in olive wood and made in Bethlehem, to later go in procession to the exact place where the chapel that will bear the name will be built. of the patron saint of Extremadura and Queen of Hispanity, the Virgin of Guadalupe.
memorial tile
In the exact place of the future chapel, the first stone was blessed, revealing a tile “that has not been buried, but has been exposed, in a small monolith” explained the provicar general of the Archdiocese of Toledo .
In this 25 x 15 centimeter tile, the episcopal coat of arms of the Archbishop of Toledo is embodied, in addition to the logo of the Jubilee Year of Guadalupe, recently closed. The tile, made in Talavera de la Reina, also reproduces the apparition of the Virgin Mary to the shepherd Gil Cordero, in the vicinity of what is now Puebla de Guadalupe.
On the other hand, in a small chest that has been buried, next to the first stone, a small heart made of olive wood from Bethlehem has been deposited, “symbolizing the union between the Holy Land and Our Lady of Guadalupe,” explains the P. Raúl Muelas. A tau cross, also made of wood, has also been deposited as a symbol of the Franciscan family, who guards the Holy Land. An envelope containing a five-euro bill has also been introduced, along with the minutes signed by the Archbishop of Toledo, where this historic moment is recorded.
At the end of the ceremony of blessing the first stone, Monsignor Cerro has delivered another large framed tile to the Franciscan Custody, which will be located in the sacristy of the future chapel. The last of the ceramic elaborations will be an altarpiece that will be placed, once the construction of the chapel is finished, and where the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe can be contemplated.
“It has been a very exciting ceremony in which we have been able to sing praises to the Virgin of Guadalupe” said Mr. Raúl Muelas.
Chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe, fruit of the jubilee
The construction of this chapel is one of the fruits of the Guadalupe jubilee year that ended on September 10 and that Monsignor Cerro presented through a letter addressed to “all pilgrims and devotees of the Virgin of Guadalupe.”
The Archbishop of Toledo emphasizes that this building in honor of the patron saint of Extremadura is also “a tribute to the Extremaduran shepherds and we remember the first of them to whom the place where the image of the Morenita was revealed was revealed: Gil Cordero.”
The Primate also recalls the promotion of the Christian population present in the Holy Land: “We would give work to many Christians in the Holy Land who have been in dire need for years and who, as a consequence, are abandoning all Christian presence in the where the Lord was born.”
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.