Devotees come with faith and gratitude to San Cayetano, in difficult times for Argentina

Shortly after the 11 o’clock bells sounded on this cold August morning in Buenos Aires, the sun that appears is synonymous with relief for the pilgrims who wait, in front of the altar set up on the sidewalk of the Sanctuary of San Cayetano, for the beginning of the Central mass of the festivity, presided over by the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Mons. Jorge García Cuerva.

Every August 7, the patron saint of bread and work receives a multitude of devotees who come to honor him, to ask or to give thanks. Today the temple opened its doors at 00:00 hours, giving way to a good number of faithful who received the first blessing. During the early hours of the morning, and throughout the morning, other pilgrims approached with requests and expressions of gratitude.

Need and gratitude at the feet of San Cayetano

Some are driven by necessity. This is the case of Sergio, 45 years old, who comes for the first time to ask for health and work. “They fired me a little while ago, so I came to ask him to get a job again, and also health care for my wife who has cancer and we found out a little while ago. I am praying with faith for us and my five children. I ask you for work and that you always have a plate of food for my boys,” he told ACI Prensa.

Deep gratitude brought others to the Liniers neighborhood. Víctor is 69 years old and cannot hold back his tears when he remembers that almost 40 years ago “I had asked Saint Cajetan for something, and he granted it to me… and I promised to come for life, all 7 of us.” Faithful to his promise, every month he goes to the sanctuary and advises everyone “to come with faith.”

The chords of a guitar animate the choir and welcome the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, who along with three of his auxiliary bishops—Mons. Gustavo Carrara, Mons. Pedro Cannavó, and Mons. Alejandro Pardo—, and accompanied by priests of the local clergy, celebrate the central Mass of the patron saint’s festivities, which this year carry the motto “Saint Cayetano, friend of the people, give us one more heart.” solidary”.

“Our country is wounded, stripped of almost everything, half dead, like the man in the parable who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and was a victim of the robbers,” the prelate compares in his homily.

Selfishness and indifference “steal solidarity”

In this regard, he cites the words of then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio—now Pope Francis—who in 2003 He referred to this Gospel saying: “We know the robbers. We have seen the dense shadows of abandonment advance in our country, of violence used for petty interests of power and division, and the ambition of public office sought as loot.”

Bishop García Cuerva adds: “The man fell into the hands of thieves; Today they are hands stained with blood from drug trafficking that steals the future of entire generations, hands dirty with corruption and bribery that steal opportunities, hands in the pockets of selfishness and indifference that steal solidarity.”

A call to be close to “ordinary” people

The current Archbishop of Buenos Aires focuses on the figure of Saint Cajetan, to whom “we bring as a gift our requests and thanks, and we ask him with this year’s motto, a more supportive heart, because we experience that when society fractures and cracks, it is the solidarity efforts that reweave brotherhood and commitment.”

“We do not want to pass by so many wounded people on the edge of the path of life, in front of so many concrete faces, victims of exclusion,” he says, warning that “there are many ways to pass by: living self-absorbed, ignoring others “, be indifferent, or discuss figures of poverty and destitution at desks, sterilized by tears and humanity.”

“This is not a matter of ideologies or partisan positions; “It is a matter of whether or not you are close to ordinary people,” she summarizes.

Then he asks that “our blessed country be a true inn for everyone, without excluding anyone,” mentioning especially the Venezuelan brothers, “whom we host with affection, closeness and prayer,” and that we all be “friends of Saint Cayetano, who today more than ever, encourages us to show solidarity with the poorest.”

After the central Mass, some pilgrims return to their homes, others line up to enter the sanctuary and meet the image of the saint to leave their intentions, and others wait for the blessing with water that bishops and priests give in the street.

“How the country is is reflected here”

The scene is completed by sellers of prints, ears of grain and other religious objects. This is the case of Héctor, who for almost 10 years has been present every August 7, and confesses himself a devotee of San Cayetano and the Virgin.

“The weather is festive, it is warm, but compared to other years there are fewer people,” he points out. “There are many people who cannot mobilize to come, or have to go to work. The country is bad, and how the country is is reflected here,” she laments. Bibiana, who is a servant of the sanctuary for the first time, points out that “people come with a lot of faith, many with sick family members, and there is a lot of need for work, also among young people. It is beautiful to talk and share. Some share their life testimony and that is nice,” she says.

Three tasks for the pilgrim

The pilgrims leave the sanctuary with three “tasks” entrusted to them by the archbishop before the final blessing. The first: “Leave all your life, all your worries, to Saint Cayetano.”

Secondly, bring a card to someone who needs it: “Life is very complicated but with a little love and tenderness we can make it a little bit easier for everyone.”

And finally, the proposal to look at each other: “Please look at each other, let us rediscover that we are brothers and we need each other; that Argentina moves forward with unity, not with confrontations or cracks.”

“Let’s stop fighting please! Let’s not give room to opportunism, we have to be like those ears that all of you are carrying, those grains of wheat well united, so Argentina will move forward. “Let that be everyone’s intention.”