When calamities occur, locally or across the globe, the Catholic faithful are there to lend a hand. In other words, expressed by Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez and Father Nestor Rodriguez, pastor of St. Joan of Arc in Boca Raton, “When one member of the body of Christ suffers, we all suffer.”
The bishop offered a Mass Aug. 15, the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at St. Joan of Arc Church in solidarity with those affected by the Aug. 10 earthquake in western Colombia that killed more than 300 and injured about 4,000. Similar to efforts aimed at assisting suffering people in Cuba and Venezuela, parishes and missions in the Diocese of Palm Beach were asked by Bishop Rodríguez to collect money for quake recovery in Colombia, from which many local parishioners and clergy trace their heritage.
“We offer this Mass for all the victims who have died, are injured or still missing,” Father Rodriguez said at the start of the liturgy. “What anguish, unimaginable suffering. May Our Lady, the patroness of Colombia, Chiquinquirá, comfort our brothers and sisters.”
Our Lady of Chiquinquirá, or Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquirá, is a painting of Mary, holding the infant Jesus next to St. Anthony of Padua and St. Andrew, that underwent a miraculous restoration in 1586. The image is venerated in Colombia.
Bishop Rodríguez thanked the hundreds of faith-filled Catholics, including many non-Hispanic parishioners from a wide range of cultures, who participated in the Mass.
“We are invoking the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on this solemnity of her Assumption together with the certainty that the Blessed Virgin will always be the mother of hope and the mother of healing for the victims of this tragedy that has now affected our beloved nation of Colombia,” he said.
“The Diocese of Palm Beach will always remain close to those who suffer in our midst, and we will always remain close in particular to the people of Colombia because we remain exceedingly grateful for the abundant presence of so many Colombians in all our parishes and schools, and we are going to remain very close to the people of Colombia throughout this entire tragedy,” the bishop added.
To watch the recorded Mass, go to the St. Joan of Arc Parish YouTube channel at @stjoanofarcboca. For more information, visit https://stjoan.org/wp/, or follow on Facebook and Instagram.
