Feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, Patroness of Spain - October 12th

[Stone]

OCTOBER 12 - Our Lady of the Pillar, Patroness of Spain

Taken from The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Guéranger  (1841-1875)

Known to all Spaniards is the story of the ancient and pious tradition. The Apostle Santiago walked along the banks of the Ebro, announcing the good news to the brave and untamed Iberians. The indifference of his listeners had him saddened and he was already on the verge of fainting when the Virgin Mary appeared to him one night, announcing that his works would not be sterile and that the seed spilled by him and lovingly protected by her virginal hands would bear fruit. of blessing through the ages. Encouraged by this vision, the Apostle continued his evangelizing work, preserving indelible memory of that place that had been sanctified with the presence of the Mother of God and the Pillar on which its plants had perched.

There a temple was later built that is the current basilica of Pilar in Zaragoza, source of graces, scene of forgiveness and conversions, center of pilgrimages that come there from all over Spain, which considers the Virgen del Pilar as its heavenly patron, and to Pilar himself, as a symbol of his faith and the center of his religious fervor, always powerful and sincere. From that throne, in which Our Lady receives the homage of all Spaniards, she pours out her graces in all directions, watches over the preservation of the faith, and kindly prays for the flowering of the immense and lush tree of Hispanity. Oh Mother, our Mother of Pilar, who has freed Spain from so many dangers through the centuries and who signifies with miracles, like that of the young man from Calanda, to whom you restored the foot that was cut and buried.

[Stone]

October 12: Our Lady of The Pillar

SSPX | October 12, 2016


Our Lady of the Pillar, in Zaragoza, Spain is the first Marian apparition in Church history.

The city of Zaragoza in Spain is unlike any other, for it houses the first church dedicated to Our Lady in the entire Christian world. Indeed, the Blessed Mother’s very first apparition took place here, in Zaragoza, to St. James the Greater and his disciples while she was still living in Jerusalem.


History

It was the year 40 AD. St. James had arrived in Galicia, Spain with his disciples to evangelize the region. However, despite his efforts, he had not been successful in converting the pagans of that land to the Catholic Faith. St. James was very discouraged, and thinking he had failed in his mission, he prayed with his disciples on the shores of the Ebro River, next to the Roman city of Cesar Augusto, today known as Zaragoza.

It was then that they heard the voices of angels singing and they saw the Mother of Christ appear, standing on a marble pillar. The Blessed Virgin, who was still alive on earth, asked the apostle to build a church in her honor on that site, with its altar surrounding the pillar she now stood upon. “This place is to be my house, and this image and column shall be the title and altar of the temple that you shall build… and the people of this land will honor greatly my Son Jesus.” Then, she also promised that “it will stand from that moment until the end of time in order that God may work miracles and wonders through my intercession for all those who place themselves under my patronage.” She also predicted the martyrdom and death of St. James.

The Blessed Virgin disappeared, but the pillar remained. St. James and his disciples immediately began the construction of a church on that site, and help from the rising number of converts due to Our Lady’s intercession hastened its completion. St. James then returned to Palestine and suffered martyrdom under King Herod Agrippa, who decapitated him. He is known as the first of Our Lord’s apostles to die, and his relics are enshrined in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

The church built by St. James was replaced by larger churches over the centuries, ending in the present 17th-century stunning basilica. Today, one can visit the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar and kneel before the very pillar the Blessed Virgin stood upon. This pillar or column represents the solidity of the Catholic Church and of Our Lady’s protection. The magnificent altar dwarfs the miraculous ancient wooden statue, only 15 inches tall. Pilgrims can pass behind the altar to kiss an exposed section of the pillar, worn out due to millions of kisses; and one finds a pleasant aroma emanating from this blessed pillar.

The celebration of the Office and Mass for the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, observed on October 12, was granted for all of Spain by Pope Clement XII in 1730. As the date coincides with the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus, the Blessed Virgin Mary was later named as Patroness of the Hispanic World.

Prayer to Our Lady of the Pillar

O Virgin Mother of the Pillar, deigning to appear to thy beloved disciple, St. James, promising him the victory over paganism, and blessing so abundantly his labors for the spread of the True Catholic Faith, secure for us also, who are the children of that same Faith, the victory over our many foes and the paganism that threaten souls in our day.

Through the intercession of thine Apostle, St. James, the “Son of Thunder”, may we help establish everywhere the true devotion to thy Immaculate Heart that Our Lord wills for the conversion of all sinners. Amen.

[Stone]

A reminder ....