OUR LADY OF CARMEN

Day 221: December 19

Our Lady of Carmen, Santiago, Chile



The Marian devotion of Our Lady of Carmen is a Catholic tradition imported from Spain to America in 1595 by the Augustinian brothers, who brought the first image there. However, it took a few centuries before she obtained the recognition of "Patroness of Chile", which happened with the advent of the Chilean nationalist war, in which José de San Martin, commander of the Liberation Army, proclaimed her "Patroness of the Army of the Andes" and Bernardo O'Higgins "Patroness and General of the Chilean Armed Forces" on the eve of the Battle of Chacabuco.

Towards the end of the War of Independence and after several victories, as the troops approached Santiago, prayers were raised in the city's cathedral, so that the victory would not abandon the Chilean troops. It was then that O'Higgins, the country's supreme director, promised to build a temple in honor of the Virgin on the site of the decisive battle for Chile's independence.

It was here in Maipú that the sanctuary of the Virgin of Mount Carmel was built, where those who had promised to build the temple collaborated in the construction of its foundations. The inauguration took place on October 24, 1974.

The Coronation of Our Lady of Carmen was carried out three years after the decree of Pope Pius XI authorizing Our Lady of Mount Carmel to become the patroness of Chile with the following declaration: "To the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel, principal patroness of the entire Republic of Chile, the granting of all privileges and honors."

Thus the statue of Our Lady in the Basilica of Salvador was crowned. This event was presided over by Archbishop Aloisi Masella, specially sent by the Pope for the occasion. According to historical chronicles, the park was filled with colors, flowers and an immense crowd all concentrated around his image.

The Feast of Tirana is celebrated in La Tirana, in the region of Tarapaca. This festival takes place on July 16 and commemorates Our Lady of Carmen. According to tradition, this festival has indigenous origins that have adapted to Christian beliefs but today it is considered as a fully Catholic event to celebrate Our Lady of Carmen in La Tirana.

In 1778 the first procession of the Virgin of Santiago was held in 1818, but it was changed to the third Sunday of October to commemorate the promise made by José de San Martin and Bernardo O'Higgins, because in that month the first votive stone of the Temple of Maipú was laid. In 1971, the Chilean bishops decided to change the date of the procession to the last Sunday of September ("Day of Prayer for Chile)".

For the procession and in thanksgiving, the streets crossed by the statue of Our Lady of Carmen are enriched with flowers up to half a meter from the ground. The National Anthem is played and cries of joy acclaim the passage of the Virgin, even the soldiers are silently moved as she passes.

The Confraternity of Carmen is a group of people responsible for spreading the devotion and changing the robes of the statue of Our Lady of Carmen, normally they are residents of the parish of El Sagrario. The first confraternity was founded in the sixteenth century, by Augustinian brothers on mission in southern Chile. In 1643 the brotherhood in Santiago admitted only men until 1858 when women formed a second brotherhood. Since then, the preparation of the processions and the festivities of Our Lady of Carmen have been organized by both.

On April 18, 2008, a homeless man identified as Patricio Alejandro Parada Castro overturned a candle, causing the destruction of the statue. The fact was not accidental, in fact he was arrested following another fire set in la Vina del Mar, where more than seven hectares of land went up in smoke. The image was restored by experts from the National Center for Conservation and Restoration (CNCR); It took about a year of work before it could return to its altar in the cathedral on July 7, 2009, and the ceremony was led by Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz Ossa, Archbishop of Santiago. Giuseppe Pinto, the then Apostolic Nuncio of His Holiness (Benedict XVI) and other bishops were present.

Pope Francis crowned Our Lady of Carmen when he went on his apostolic visit to Chile on January 18, 2018 and the coronation took place during the Holy Mass of the meeting with young people in Maipú, Chile on the same day.


St Justin Russolillo Writes...

"May I be united to them in honoring you, O Virgin Mother of God, in venerating you, our Queen and Mother, in imploring you, O full of grace, for my own and the sake of others."

(Justin Russolillo, Spirit of Prayer, trans. Louis Caputo, Vocationist Fathers, Newark, 1996, p. 77)

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