With a Mass presided by the Bishop of Punta Arenas (Chile), Mons. Óscar Blanco Martínez, and a procession to the sanctuary dedicated to Mary Help of Christians, the patron saint festivities were celebrated this Friday in the southernmost diocese in the world.
The celebration of the Eucharist took place at 7:00 p.m. (local time) in the gymnasium of the Liceo San José, and was an occasion to venerate and thank Mary Help of Christians, Mother and patron saint of the Diocese and the region of Magallanes.
Receive the main news from ACI Prensa by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channels today:
In his homily, Bishop Blanco Martínez made special mention of the Salesian family, sons and daughters of Don Bosco, for having “brought and spread the devotion of Mary Help of Christians in the southernmost region of the world.”
Following the pastoral guidelines that guide the local Church, the prelate recalled the motto: “Let us walk together, with joy, because the Lord is with you.”
In this context, he invited us to “revalue the urgent need we have to pray,” and recalled that “prayer transforms us.”
“If we look for the word ‘aid’ in the dictionary we will find that it means help, succor, protection and many other synonyms,” he said. “It also means reinforcement, increased strength. It is not strange that our Mother from heaven receives this title of Help of Christians, or as we affectionately call her: Mary Help of Christians, because she comes to our aid and strengthens us in faith and love for Jesus the Lord,” he highlighted.
“This is the request we want to make to you today: Mary Help of Christians, strengthen our prayer and our synodal work,” prayed the bishop.
Taking different passages from the Gospel, Mons. Blanco Martínez highlighted Mary’s attitude in numerous moments, with a spirit “willing to approach those who are going through a difficult moment”, and also the Mother’s message to the faithful: “Always do the will of Jesus Christ.”
“She put into practice from the beginning the new commandment of love that Jesus Christ left us. Because he loves us, Mary strengthens us. Because she loves us, Mary always comes to meet us. Because she loves us, Mary always wants our good. Because she loves us, Mary strengthens us in our encounter with the Lord Jesus and his Gospel,” she maintained.
He also called to take the example of Mary in the disciplic path, united in prayer, in service, in charity and “in so many works that contribute to a Church committed to the Gospel.”
“Mary Help of Christians teaches us that in the Church it is not just me, it is us, it is all of us, children, young people, adults and older adults, called to walk together, in communion, participation and in missionary outing,” he added.
“Today I want to invite you to ask Mary Help of Christians to help us strengthen our Prayer and our synodal work,” said the bishop. “The image of the Virgin Mary is an impulse to walk together in faith and prayer in times of synodality,” he insisted. “That is why today we ask you, Mary Help of Christians, come walk with us. “Mary Help of Christians reinforces our prayer and our synodal path,” he concluded.
After the Mass, the faithful walked in procession along the main street of Punta Arenas until they reached the sanctuary, where they received the blessing.
Sanctuary of Mary Help of Christians
The Sanctuary of Mary Help of Christians of Punta Arenas was built at the initiative of Bishop José Fagnano, as a way of witnessing the evangelizing task that, together with the Salesians, they carried out for 42 years in Magallanes.
Located at the northern access to Punta Arenas, it is a copy of the Fouvier temple in Paris, and it is the most monumental work developed in Chile by Father Juan Bernabé, who stood out for his important work as the builder of numerous Catholic temples. .
Its founding stone was blessed on March 19, 1911, and the construction of a Salesian school, later called the Don Bosco Institute, also began.
The first stage of the temple was blessed on May 23, 1919, and in March 1920 an image of Mary Help of Christians, 1.80 meters high, was blessed on the bell tower.
After extensive work, the temple was officially inaugurated for Holy Week in 1929.
During his visit to Chile in 1987, Saint John Paul II crowned the image of Mary Help of Christians located on the main altar of the temple, as patron saint of the Diocese and of the Chilean Antarctica.
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.