They seek to declare Negro Manuel, the first servant of the Virgin of Luján, Venerable

Manuel Costa de los Ríos, known as “Black Manuel”, the first servant of the Virgin of Luján, witness of the miracle and caretaker of the first oratory dedicated to her devotion, took an important step on his way to the altars.

On Saturday, November 23, the Archbishop of Mercedes-Luján (Argentina), Mons. Jorge Eduardo Scheinig, presided over the ceremony for the completion of the diocesan stage in the cause of canonization of the Servant of God known for his phrase “I am only of the Virgin.” ”.

After gathering the necessary documentation to present the case to the Vatican Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, the closing ceremony of this stage took place at the archiepiscopal headquarters.

During the ceremony the boxes containing the documentation were sealed, and the performers swore before the Holy Gospels that they had carried out their functions correctly.

Then the pages that record the procedure were signed, according to the norms of Canon Law. To end the meeting, seminarians from Mercedes-Luján performed a song dedicated to the Virgin.

The purpose of this stage was to gather information that demonstrates the heroic virtues of the Servant of God. Once in Rome, after several evaluations, the Holy Father must authorize the promulgation of the decree that declares the heroic virtues of the Servant of God in question, thus becoming Venerable.

The next step is beatification, for which—except in cases of martyrdom—a miracle must be demonstrated through his intercession. A second miracle, occurring after his beatification, will be the requirement for canonization.

Who was the Negro Manuel Costa de los Ríos?

Negro Manuel was a slave born, raised and placed in captivity in Costa de los Ríos, in what was then known as Upper Guinea, in Africa. He arrived in the Río de la Plata, in present-day Argentina, as part of a batch of slaves that were going to be sold in Buenos Aires.

In 1630, working on lands administered by the military man Bernabé González Filiano, he was a qualified witness of the miracle by which the cart carrying the image of the Virgin of Luján was stopped.

Immediately, his master put Negro Manuel to guard the Sacred Image of the Virgin in the first oratory dedicated to her veneration. From there he recognizes himself as “slave of the Virgin.”

His master’s heirs sold him, and Manuel became a slave of the Virgin of Luján, in whose service he continued in the Villa of Luján for 56 years. From there comes the famous phrase attributed to Negro Manuel: “I am only the Virgin’s”, considering her his mistress and mistress.

“He was a living manifestation of the tender love for the Immaculate Virgin, always in holy zeal to seek her greatest glory through the faithful ministry of serving her in the condition of humble sacristan,” express the prosecutor of the case, Mons. Juan Guillermo Durán.

He died in 1686, after more than many years of serving the Virgin and the pilgrims who came to the place. His body was buried behind the main altar of the sanctuary, which at that time was being completed.