Montevideo, Uruguay, Oct 7, 2011 / 12:06 pm
The bishops of Uruguay are encouraging the country's Catholics to participate in a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of the 33.
The Bishops’ Conference of Uruguay issued a press release reiterating the invitation the bishops made last August to take part in the Marian procession.
The event will take place on Sunday, Nov. 13.
The bishops said the pilgrimage will be the culmination of the events organized by the Church throughout the year to celebrate Uruguay’s bicentennial. It will also mark the 50th anniversary of the Pontifical Coronation of the statue of Our Lady of the 33, which took place on March 8, 1961.
One year later, Our Lady of the 33 was named patroness of Uruguay.
“We shall take part in this encounter with our mother at the place where our country was proclaimed free,” the bishops said.
On April 19, 1825, a group of 33 Uruguayans launched the country’s move for independence from Spain after praying before a small wooden statue of the Virgin Mary. The statue is now venerated in the Uruguayan city of Florida.