Members of the Brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles carry the image of “Cristo Moreno de Pachacamilla” in a procession in 2022.CHARLOTTE — The annual Lord of Miracles procession, a traditional Peruvian feast, will be held Saturday, Oct. 14, at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte.
As in previous years, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, which displays the sacred image of Lord of the Miracles in the church, will host men and women dressed in purple robes, the traditional color of the brotherhood of Cristo Moreno de Pachacamilla, who with special devotion will process and honor the patron of Peruvian residents and immigrants.
The celebration will begin with a 6 p.m. Mass, followed by the procession across parish grounds.
For the first time since the pandemic, the brotherhood has invited professional musicians to accompany the processional route.
“Thanks to several sponsors and the generosity of the community that responded to the call for our fundraising activities, we will again have a band of specialized musicians that are coming all the way from Maryland to be a part of the feast,” said Jorge Caldas, foreman of the Brotherhood of the Lord of Miracles.
Music is a special and traditional part of this unique festival.
In a route that is divided into several sections, the processional image, carried on the shoulders of brotherhood members, is adorned with flowers and candles. It is preceded by dozens of sahumadora sisters bearing incense.
In each of the walking sections, the members of the brotherhood are renewed, the flowers on the dais are changed, and children approach to the image to lay flowers and say prayers. After the procession, the collected flowers are distributed among the attendees who request them.
Caldas invites the entire Catholic community in the Diocese of Charlotte to join in this special feast of the “Purple Christ.”
HISTORY OF DEVOTION
On Nov. 13, 1655, a devastating earthquake shook Lima, leaving thousands dead and villages turned to rubble. In Pachacamilla, a poor neighborhood comprised of Angolan slaves, the image of a brown-skinned Christ, painted on a wall in the village, remained perfectly intact. The veneration began during another earthquake in 1687 when, in a series of prayers, the steward of the chapel of Santo Cristo, Don Sebastián de Antuñano, took an oil copy of the original painting of Christ through the devastated streets of Lima, asking for the end of the cataclysm.
In 1746, Lima suffered the most destructive earthquake in its history, and it is said that the faithful processed with a replica of the image through the streets and the earth stopped shaking instantly. With multiple miraculous events surrounding devotion to the image, it became known as “Lord of Miracles.”
Appointed in 1715 as “patron of the City of Lima” and designated by the Vatican in 2005 as the “patron of Peruvian residents and immigrants,” the Lord of Miracles remains one of the largest processions in the world.
This year, the first procession in Lima, capital city of Peru, will leave on Oct. 7 from the Monastery of the Discalced Carmelite Nazarene Mothers. The second, third and fourth route will be on Oct. 18, 19 and 28. The fifth and final tour will take place on Nov. 1.
To follow a live broadcast of the processions, go online to www.nazarenas.tv/envivo.
— César Hurtado