The Catholic community of Catamarca celebrated this Thursday the fourth anniversary of the beatification of Fray Mamerto Esquiú, with a procession and a mass in its hometown, Piedra Blanca.
The celebration was framed in the Jubilee Year and also on the way to the Bicentennial of his birth, which will be held in May 2026. In that context, the faithful remembered the figure and testimony of the friar and bishop that was a model of holiness and citizenship.
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The arrival of the images of the Lord of the Milagros, from the Sanctuary of the Telena, and of the Virgen del Valle, Patroness of Catamarca, from its sanctuary and basilica cathedral, began the celebration.
Then the rosary was prayed, and a procession was carried out around the central square, which was attended by authorities, institutions, traditionalist groups, pilgrims and faithful.
The Central Eucharist He was chaired by the Bishop of Catamarca, Mons. Luis Urbanc, in the atrium of the San José Historic Temple, and concelebrated by numerous priests.
Remembering Mamerto Esquiú, the bishop emphasized his example as “messenger of Jesus Christ” in difficult times. His legacy, he said, is based on the centrality of the Gospel, Fraternity and Charity.
In that sense, he urged to follow the example of Blessed, putting into practice humility and service, and remembering that “charity is the badge of Christian life, love made action” and invited to follow the example of the Blessed in humility and service.
At the time of offerings, a first -degree relic of the Blessed Catamarque, delivered by the Archbishopric of Córdoba, approached the altar.
At the end of the Mass, the Cantus Nova choir sang the beatification song.
Celebrations in the Suncho
During the afternoon of Thursday, faithful and devotees congregated to commemorate the anniversary of beatification in the sunch, department La Paz, where Fray Esquiú, being at that time Bishop of Córdoba, died on January 10, 1883. In the place he preserved part of the “old black carob” that gave him his shadow in the last minutes of his life.
Gathered there, the faithful prayed the rosary, thank God for beatification and begged for their prompt canonization, remembering important moments of the friar’s life.
Julieta Villar
I am a journalist, a graduate in Communication from the National University of La Matanza in Argentina. I have work experience in non -governmental organizations. Since 2016 I dedicate myself to Catholic journalism, first in the Argentine Catholic Information Agency (AICA) and, since 2022, as a correspondent for ACI Press for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Bolivia.