DELRAY BEACH | Rainy skies didn’t keep the International Marian Festival from occurring May 3, 2026, at Emmanuel Parish in Delray Beach. It just moved mostly indoors.
Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez was there to bless the faithful and the many depictions of the Virgin Mary from around the world. After the joyful and luminous mysteries of the rosary were prayed in multiple languages, the bishop spoke inside Emmanuel Church about Our Lady of Altagracia, spiritual mother of the Dominican Republic. He had just returned from a visit to his home country, where he celebrated Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Altagracia in Higüey.
“This is the most beautiful church you can find in the Dominican Republic, where hundreds of thousands of people every single month go to ask for every type of blessing and present their intentions, and to also accomplish fulfilled promises, pledges that they made to the Lord and to the Blessed Virgin Mary,” he said.
“This is a very interesting reality that Our Lady of Altagracia is considered to be a national symbol of the homeland,” the bishop added. “It’s not only for the Catholics, but for every Dominican, which is also why at the center of the Dominican coat of arms you find the Bible opened to John 8:32, ‘You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” It’s also interesting that “The Truth Will Set You Free” is Bishop Rodríguez’s episcopal motto.
Additionally, he spoke about devotions to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico and Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal. Bishop Rodríguez urged the faithful to bring their sorrows and hardships to the Mother of God, especially in today’s world with heightened threats to peace and unity and to acts of violence.
“We always receive the blessing that only a mother can give us, the blessing of love, the blessing of reassurance that we are not alone, the blessing of bringing us closer to the heart of compassion and mercy of her Son,” he said.
Bishop Rodríguez led many prayers during the festival, including a litany to the Blessed Virgin, consecration to her Immaculate Heart, the Divine Praises and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. He thanked the pastor, Father Gaudioso Zamora, and Father Theodore Ihedoro, parish associate, and Emmanuel’s parishioners for their hospitality in hosting the festival.
Afterward, in the covered pavilion next to the church, all statues and other artwork depicting Mary were displayed by groups from parishes in the diocese. A group of women from the local Vietnamese community performed a dance with flowers for the bishop.
For information on events at Emmanuel Parish, visit www.emmanuelcatholic.church or call 561-496-2480. To learn about activities and events throughout the diocese, visit www.diocesepb.org/news.
