While the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Lo Vásquez, about 87 kilometers from the Chilean capital, prepares for the great festival that attracts more than a million pilgrims every December 8, the Canto Católico foundation premieres a version of the traditional hymn dedicated to the Mother of God.
With this new version, Canto Católico seeks to take advantage of digital media to reach an even larger audience and make this revered Chilean tradition known internationally.
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In dialogue with EWTN NewsFather César Flores, vice-rector of the Sanctuary of the Purísima Virgin of Lo Vásquez, assured that “the devotion of Our Lady Purísima of Lo Vásquez is a very significant devotion, and has very beautiful gestures and things that call for reflection of any pilgrim, that is why it is one of the greatest festivals.”
“This devotion that started very small in Casablanca, in the Lo Vásquez sector, has been gaining strength, has been gaining momentum, and it is very beautiful.”
In that sense, he recalled the words that Saint John Paul II addressed to the rectors of sanctuaries: “He says that sanctuaries are the irruption of God into history, and sanctuaries are witnesses of the mystery of the Incarnation.”
“God, out of nothing, begins to do something new. In the Virgin Mary, her son is conceived from nothing, and as it is the irruption of God in history, from nothing, in Lo Vásquez, which is a tiny, small town, God chooses Lo Vásquez to begin an evangelization ”, he noted. To this day, Lo Vásquez “is a sign, a faithful reflection of what God is doing with his people,” he stressed.
José Miguel Correa, executive director of Canto Católico, explained to EWTN Noticias that “Catholic singing is at the service of the Church, and today we also try to promote popular piety”:
When referring to the feast of the Virgin of Lo Vásquez, he considered that “it is one of the greatest reflections in Chile of what Popular piety is and how tradition has led to more and more faithful joining every December 8 ”.
“The Blessed Virgin has always given us great joy to be able to promote her,” he acknowledged. On this occasion, it was through the call of Father César Flores, that they were able to revert this hymn.
The Lo Vásquez festival dates back to the beginning of the 20th century and is the Catholic festival that attracts the most people on a single day in the country. Every year it is an occasion for meeting and prayer for thousands of faithful, and is part of the cultural and spiritual heritage of Chile.
In 2009, Father Marcelino Toro Jara composed a hymn in honor of the Purísima Virgin of Lo Vásquez, a work commissioned by the then Bishop of Valparaíso, Mons. Gonzalo Duarte.
The purpose of this assignment was to strengthen the sense of community and devotion towards this Marian dedication. Since then, the hymn became part of the identity of this extensive devotion, reflecting in its melodies the faith and hope that its children place in Mary.
Today, Canto Católico contributes a new version, with “an arrangement in our style, for four voices, that calls for reflection, and also to be a bit of a mirror of what this tradition and this popular piety has been” that began so long ago. in Chile and every year it is an appointment for so many faithful who place their faith and hope in the Virgin.
The premiere of the hymn performed by Canto Católico will be on November 30 through the YouTube channel.
Juliet Villar
I am a journalist, with a degree in communication from the National University of La Matanza in Argentina. I have work experience in non-governmental organizations. Since 2016 I have been dedicated to Catholic journalism, first at the Argentine Catholic Information Agency (AICA) and, since 2022, as ACI Prensa correspondent for Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Bolivia.