Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney helped the Peruvian community from across the diocese celebrate the feast of Señor de los Milagros (Lord of Miracles) during a Spanish Mass on Oct. 11 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, N.J., the mother church of the Paterson Diocese.
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney concelebrated the liturgy with Msgr. Geno Sylva, rector of St. John’s and diocesan vicar for special projects. The Children’s Choir sang hymns of praise.
The Peruvian devotion features an outdoor procession through the streets to the Lord and all his miracles. Peruvians carried an image of Jesus Christ that was painted during the 17th century by an unknown African who was taken as an enslaved person from what is now Angola to Peru. The procession also includes an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Peruvian community celebrates Señor de los Milagros every October, on or near the 18th. It is the leading Catholic celebration in Peru, and it features one of the largest processions in the world in the South American country. Its name originated in the 17th century during an earthquake in Lima that destroyed most of the city, leaving only the image standing.
