Today the people of Ecuador remember in a special way the Virgin Mary, who in the invocation of Our Lady of Mercy interceded more than 200 years ago so that the country achieved its independence.
On May 24, 1822, the independence army led by the Marshal of Ayacucho, the Venezuelan Antonio José de Sucre, defeated the royalist army in the Battle of Pichincha, achieving an important step in its independence from the Spanish crown.
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The confrontation took place on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, located near Quito, the current capital of Ecuador, within the framework of the Spanish American wars of independence, at the beginning of the 19th century.
As recalled by the Joint Command of the Armed Forces of Ecuador, the victory was achieved thanks to the fact that Marshal Sucre asked “for the protection of the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary of La Merced, to achieve the freedom of our people” and offered her to the Mother of God “the libertarian sword”.
Sucre fulfilled his promise “by moving the sacred image (of the Virgin of Mercy) from his temple to the Cathedral Church of Quito, where he placed the Sword of Liberty in his hands,” he added.
Today, the iconic stone image of the Virgin of Mercy, whose origin dates back to 1527, carries the libertarian sword in one hand and lies on the main altar of the Basilica of Mercy in Quito.
Pope Saint Paul VI declared the Virgin of Mercy as the main Patroness of the Archdiocese of Guayaquil and the other dioceses of Ecuador in 1970; and in 1992, the Episcopal Conference of Ecuador declared her “Patron and Protector of the prisons of Ecuador.”
The Virgin of Mercy is remembered and venerated by the faithful of Ecuador not only for freeing captives and her people from diseases, but especially for her intercession to win battles.
In 1860, the Virgin of Mercy was proclaimed “Queen, Patroness and Lawyer of Ecuador and its Arms” after helping to stop an attempted invasion in Guayaquil; In 1861, she was proclaimed by decree as “Special Patroness and Protector of the Republic and the Armed Forces”.; and in 1963, the Military Government Junta proclaimed her “Patroness and Generalissima of the Armed Forces.”
Every year, the Armed Forces of Ecuador celebrate “the traditional Tedeum o Thanksgiving Mass, as an act of solemn spirituality and Catholic reflection to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Pichincha” and “the Classic Day of the Armed Forces,” noted the Joint Command of the Armed Forces of Ecuador on its site Web.
To remember this special day, the faithful of the Mercedarian Province of Quito, called the “Mercedarians” for their devotion to this Marian dedication, encouraged people to pray this prayer:
Liturgical prayer dedicated to Our Lady of Liberating Mercy
Oh God, with your unique providence,
you have given your people the patronage of the
Most Holy Mother of your Son, grant us
through the intercession of the Virgin Mary herself
venerated under the title of Mercy,
Liberating, that, freed by justice and
charity, let us head with joy to your
meeting.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit and is God by
forever and ever.
Amen.
Central Editorial
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