{"id":5058391,"date":"2022-01-31T14:43:41","date_gmt":"2022-01-31T14:43:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ctlatinonews.com\/?p=5058391"},"modified":"2022-01-31T14:43:41","modified_gmt":"2022-01-31T14:43:41","slug":"dominicans-in-meriden-honor-nuestra-senora-de-la-altagracia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/2022\/01\/31\/dominicans-in-meriden-honor-nuestra-senora-de-la-altagracia\/","title":{"rendered":"Dominicans in Meriden honor\u00a0Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de la Altagracia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The Dominican community of Meriden celebrated Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de la Altagracia \u2014 Our Lady of Altagracia \u2014 the \u201cprotector of the Dominican people\u201d earlier this month like millions of their compatriots in the island nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parishioners walked through St. Rose of Lima Parish at a special mass on Sunday, January 23, carrying the image of the Virgin as the choir sang. Organizers made their way to the altar wearing Dominican national costumes. The church was decorated with flowers, highlighting the colors of the Dominican flag: red, blue and white.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The procession through the streets of Colonial Zoe to honor the Patron Saint Altagracia. (Picture courtesy: Colonial Zone-DR)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Hundreds of thousands of devoted visitors make the trip to the Bas\u00edlica Catedral Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de la Altagracia in Salvale\u00f3n de Hig\u00fcey in the Dominican Republic to see the painting of their patron saint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The story of Our Lady de Altagracia dates back to when Spain first colonized the island of Hispaniola. Alonso y Antonio de Trejo, are said to have brought a painting of the Virgin to Hispaniola from their home in Placencia in 1502.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The legend states that the image of the Virgin mysteriously disappeared from the house of the brothers Trejo and later reappeared in an orange bush. The location of this bush is where the first church of Higuey was built.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The image of Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de la Altagracia is believed to have been painted in the late 15th century in Spain. It was mysteriously delivered by a shrouded elderly man who dropped off the painting and disappeared. The painting shows the scene of the birth of Jesus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another miracle story tells how Dominican soldiers appealed to the Virgin to help them win victory over the French in the 1691 battle in La Limonade, near Cap-Haitien in northern Haiti. They won the battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\nThe Bas\u00edlica Catedral Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de la Altagracia located in Salvale\u00f3n de Hig\u00fcey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Virgen de la Altagracia was crowned the spiritual mother of Higuey by pontificate of Pius XI in August 15, 1922. The ceremony was held in Santo Domingo at the Puerta del Conde. Later, President of the Dominican Republic, Doctor Joaquin Antonio Balaguer Ricardo declared that D\u00eda de la Altagracia would be celebrated on January 21 as a national holiday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Colonial Zone-DR, 1in every 12 Dominicans are named Altagracia in honor of the patron saint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\nMass at St. Rose of Lima Church in Meriden on Jan. 23, 2022. | Devin Leith-Yessian\/Record-Journal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPersonally, it has been an enriching experience for me,\u201d Rev. James Manship said in an interview with the Record Journal\u2019s Latino Communities Reporting Lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
St. Rose of Lima started to celebrate a special Mass honoring Our Lady of Altagracia in 2018, as it recognized the growth of the Dominican community locally, Manship noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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