St. Augustine, Fla. – To honor the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the 20th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI has announced a Year of Faith, starting Oct. 11 and ending Nov. 24, 2013. The goal is to strengthen the faith of Catholics and draw the world to faith by their example.
Bishop Felipe J. Estévez will open the Year of Faith for Catholics in the Diocese of St. Augustine with Solemn Vespers (Evening Prayer) on Thursday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral Basilica, 38 Cathedral Place, St. Augustine. The homilist is Father D. Terrence Morgan, pastor of St. Anastasia Parish in St. Augustine. The public is invited to attend.
“Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, wants people to rediscover the truth of the faith and renew their confidence in the gospel,” said Bishop Estévez. “Let us be open to the Spirit and renew our understanding of our faith so we can proclaim it with greater confidence and clarity to the world.”
There are so many things coming together this year – the 50th anniversary of Vatican II, the 20th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the World Synod of Bishops on Evangelization and of particular significance locally, the first annual observance of the newly established Feast of Our Lady of La Leche approved by Pope Benedict XVI this summer.
“Her maternal intercession for us and, indeed, for all of the church, will assist in bearing the fruit that this special year can bring,” said Bishop Estévez. “I invoke her holy name upon our local church as we prepare for the Year of Faith.”
There are a number of initiatives planned for Catholics throughout the observance of the Year of Faith, including:
• Catholic study groups on the U.S. Catechism for Adults in English and Spanish.
• Vatican II documents will be studied in an academic setting throughout the year.
• There will be a Bishop’s Bowl where young people will compete and test their knowledge of faith. Competition will be held for students in grades 1-5, 6-8 and 9-12. The regional competition will be during Catholic Schools Week, Jan. 27-Feb. 2. The finals will be at the Eucharistic Congress,
March 9 in Jacksonville.
• Bishop Estévez will issue a pastoral letter in time for Lent, which begins Feb. 13 in 2013.
• An ecumenical event with Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church and the Presbytery of St. Augustine involving the St. John’s Bible during Advent.
More information will be available on local events and resources for the Year of Faith on the diocesan website: www.dosafl.com. Additional information is available through the United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops at www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/year-offaith/index.cfm.
Background on Our Lady of La Leche
Located on the grounds of Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine, is the chapel that houses a replica of the statue of Our Lady of La Leche (Our Lady of the Milk and Happy Delivery). It is the oldest shrine dedicated to Our Blessed Mother in the United States.
The history of the devotion to the Mother of Jesus as Our Lady of La Leche may have roots in a fourth-century grotto in Bethlehem. To this day the Franciscan community maintains a shrine there called the Milk Grotto. Its centerpiece is the Blessed Virgin nursing the infant Jesus. Many believe that the crusaders brought the devotion to Mary as a nursing mother to Spain in the Middle Ages.
During the reign of Phillip III in Spain, word spread of a nobleman’s wife and baby, expected to die during the birth of the child, who were both spared as a result of the intercession of Nuestra Señora de la Leche y buen parto. The statue, in possession of the nobleman, soon found a place in the hearts of many throughout Spain.
By the early 1600’s, the devotion, under the title of Nuestra Señora de la Leche y buen parto, had a special place in the lives of the Spanish settlers and the converted indigenous people in St. Augustine. It was on these same mission grounds that the Spanish built the first Marian Shrine in the land, a devotion that continues to this present day.
Thousands of visitors and pilgrims make their way to the shrine every year. Many ask for the blessings of motherhood, beseeching the intercession of Our Lady of La Leche that God will grant them a safe and happy delivery, and healthy, holy children. Many write requesting remembrances in Masses and prayers not only for motherhood but for petitions of all kinds. Many who visit the shrine express that it is a place of spiritual comfort and renewal.