St. Augustine, Fla. – The Diocese of St. Augustine will host two events in honor of Mary in the coming week:

On Sunday, Oct. 9, beginning at 2 p.m., Bishop Felipe Estévez will celebrate a Jubilee Mass “for those inspired by Mary” at the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche, 34 Ocean Avenue in St. Augustine. The homilist for the Mass is Father David Keegan, parochial vicar at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Ponte Vedra Beach. The community is invited to attend this Year of Mercy event. For details, please call (904) 824-2809 or email jstark@dosafl.com.

On Tuesday, Oct. 11, a series of events will be celebrated as part of the feast of Our Lady of La Leche – a diocesan feast day approved by the Vatican in 2012.

The devotion to Our Lady of La Leche in St. Augustine dates back to 1577. It is the oldest devotion to Mary as the “Nursing Mother” in the United States. For more than 400 years, Our Lady of La Leche has drawn pilgrims and visitors to this beautiful shrine where they have sought her intercession for a safe pregnancy and delivery, for the gift of fertility, for healing, for families as well as in thanksgiving for prayers answered.

The events include:

• 10:00 a.m. Talk by Dr. Mary Soha entitled, “Our Lady of La Leche: Mother of America over the Centuries”
• 11:00 a.m. Rosary
• 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Reconciliation
• 6:00 p.m. Mass with Father Ivan Carrillo-Paris, ICC, rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche
• 7:15 p.m. Concert in honor of Our Lady by Voices of Saint Augustine

The public is invited to attend the events at no charge. For details, call Joanna Stark at (904) 824-2809 or email jstark@dosafl.com.

CONTACT:  Kathleen Bagg
(904) 262-1705/office
(904) 434-3909/cell