Before relic of Saint Bernadette, they ask for peace due to violence in Culiacán, Mexico

A first-degree relic of Saint Bernadette Soubirous, the visionary of the Virgin of Lourdes, visited Culiacán, a Mexican city marked by violence derived from clashes between organized crime groups.

In this context, the local Bishop, Mons. Jesús José Herrera Quiñones, urged the faithful to pray and ask the saint for “peace in our town, peace in our city, peace in our State.”

Also known as Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, French mystic and religious, experienced 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes. A first-grade relic, which consists of a bone fragment of the saint canonized in 1933, was in Culiacán from November 29 to December 2.

The relic was brought from France by Father Mauricio Elías, Spanish language coordinator of the Sanctuary of Lourdes, and presented in various temples of the diocese, where the faithful were able to venerate the saint who in 1858 saw the Virgin Mary, who He presented her as “the Immaculate Conception.”

Context of violence in the state of Sinaloa

The visit of the relic to Culiacán, state of Sinaloa, occurred within the framework of the violence that plagues this region, with frequent reports of shootings, vehicle thefts and fires since September.

According to local media, these incidents are linked to an internal dispute between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, led by the children of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and followers of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López, son of “El Chapo”, were arrested at the end of July in El Paso, Texas (United States), as reported the United States Department of Justice.

Two weeks later, it was made public a letter from Zambada, in which the boss claimed that he suffered “an ambush” in a meeting in which authorities from Sinaloa and Joaquín Guzmán López allegedly participated, and then was taken “by force and against my will” on a private plane to El Step, in an incident in which the son of “El Chapo” would have participated.

Zambada’s arrest and accusations sparked clashes between the two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel that still continue.

Between September and November of this year, the Sinaloa Prosecutor’s Office record 507 culpable homicides, a figure that in three months almost reaches the total of 566 homicides recorded in 2023.

Saint Bernadette: example of obedience

during a mass in the parish of Our Lady of Lourdes in Culiacán on December 1, Bishop Herrera Quiñones highlighted that the testimony of Saint Bernadette teaches that “we must obey God, we must obey the Virgin, because in obedience we find the answer” to social problems.

The bishop recalled that Saint Bernadette was not canonized “because the Virgin appeared to her,” but because she knew how to “do the will of God or be obedient to the Word of Mary.” For this reason, he invited the faithful to “always listen to the voice of God and be obedient to his Word.”

Bishop Herrera Quiñones also invited everyone to come “with a willing heart” and take advantage of this moment to ask for the intercession of Saint Bernadette before God for “a very special intention.”

“In our hearts there must be that desire for peace,” the prelate mentioned, underlining the need to pray for “peace in our town, peace in our city, peace in our State.”

At the conclusion of the Mass, Bishop Herrera Quiñones recited a prayer of Saint Bernadette, asking for the peace and well-being of all the inhabitants of Culiacán and the state of Sinaloa.