Lord of Miracles devotion has healed many souls
WEST VALLEY — Every October hundreds of thousands of devotees honor the Lord of Miracles by participating in religious processions through the streets of Lima, Peru.
The Lord of Miracles (El Señor de los Milagros) is an image of Jesus Christ that was painted during the 17th century by an unnamed African slave who was taken to Peru. One of the largest processions in the world, Lima’s Lord of Miracles festival celebrates the image, which survived the 1655 earthquake that destroyed most of the city. Miracles began to be attributed to the painting, and devotion grew. The original image now is housed in the Sanctuary of Las Nazarenas.
In Utah, a group of men and women in the fraternity of the Lord of Miracles (Hermandad del Señor de los Milagros, also organizes an annual procession honoring the image.
The Hermandad is composed of volunteers who have different roles such as ‘cargadores’ (lifters), ‘ahumadoras’ (incensers) and singers. Men, women and children dress in a special purple tunic as a symbol of their devotion to and respect for the image. The cargadores carry a replica of the painting during the procession; the ahumadoras are women who are in charge of the incense for the festivities.
The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City has supported and recognized this group since 2012.
This year, the local celebration took place on Oct. 21 at Saints Pater and Paul Catholic Parish in West Valley.
People gathered to attend a Mass, followed by a procession and a celebration honoring the image.
“The importance of celebrating as Catholic Hispanic/Peruvian here in Utah is because we need to keep our traditions and customs alive. Our religious traditions are very important,” said Christian Choy, a member of the Fraternity of the Lord of Miracles.
Choy has been devoted to the Lord of Miracles since he was very little in Peru. His devotion became stronger when he was presented with a devastating event.
“I was suffering a lot and I approached him more often, and he change my life,” Choy said. “As a way of thanking him, every year I participate in these processions and devotions.”
He was referring to the fact that two years ago his father had a major surgery in which he lost half of his heart, and the doctors said he was terminal and nothing else could be done.
“I put his life in [the Lord of Miracles’] hands. It’s something that I cannot explain with words, but my dad is here today with us. … I owe his life to Our Lord,” said Choy, adding that “in these moments, when there are lots of bad things going on – the fires, the earthquakes, the killings – there are lots of people changing their way of thinking toward religion. They are starting to approach it, to come back to it. So we want them to see that our Lord loves us all.”
Another person who attended the Lord of Miracles celebration was Pamela Torrejon, who is originally from Peru and now lives in Springville.
“I have been living in Utah for three years now and I had no idea that this celebration was taking place,” she said. “My devotion to Him is really strong. … Since I was very little I have seen my family’s devotion to Him.”
For example, when her cousin was born he had pneumonia, and he was about to die, so her grandmother asked everyone to pray to the Lord of Miracles, she said.
“My grandmother promised the Lord of Miracles that every October she was going to devote herself to Him if he healed my little cousin and He did. … From then on we all have been very devoted,” said Torrejon, adding that she was very happy to be able to participate in this year’s celebration at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish.
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