The bishop of Lamego, D. António Couto, presided today over the Mass of the solemnity of Our Lady of Remedies, exhorting Christians to focus on the "essential" of the celebration. In the homily transmitted online, the prelate questioned whether the faithful have done what is necessary to honor the patron saint, or if they have been "lost and entertained" with the accidental and the accessory.
D. António Couto proposed a spiritual reflection on the universality of the birth of Mary, inviting the faithful to make an interior procession to the Gate of Our Lady Mary, in Jerusalem. The bishop also highlighted the difficulties faced in preserving the faith in the Holy Land and expressed concern for the suffering of Palestinian Christians and all of the Middle East.
The sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies, whose current structure began to be built in 1750, receives thousands of pilgrims from August until the culmination of the festivities, on September 8. The church of the sanctuary is preceded by a staircase with more than 600 steps, which sits amid nature.
This afternoon, the "Procession of Triumph" took place through the streets of Lamego, gathering thousands of people. The original image of the Virgin with the Child at her breast dates from the 15th century, while the new image, carried in the procession, was consecrated on September 2, 1904.
