The Virgin of Arequipa celebrated at St. Francis Xavier Parish

Intermountain Catholic

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Héctor Astuhaunan, a Saint Francis Xavier parishioner, and his daughter ask the Virgin of Chapi for her blessings.IC photo/Laura Vallejo

KEARNS — Every year, thousands of pilgrims cross the desert from the city of Arequipa in Peru to the sanctuary of Chapi to worship the image of the Virgin of Purification, also known as the Virgin of Chapi.

This year people had the opportunity to visit and celebrate the Virgin at Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Parish in Kearns.

"This celebration is a very important day in Peru, during which all the people go and celebrate our Mother, and now we can do the same here in Utah," said Giancarlo Renzo Gazani, a Cathedral of the Madeleine parishioner who made the Virgin’s arrival in Utah possible.

The Virgin icon was flown from Peru in December and was presented in Kearns on April 29.

"Having the Virgin Mary shelter here is an honor," said Father Joseph Frez, associate pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish. "This year we are having the Marian Festival and it is very good that the Virgin from Peru is going to be represented. We are going to also have the Virgin of the Evangelization."

Hector Astuhaunan, a St. Francis Xavier parishioner, is originally from Peru. For him and his family, having the Virgin of Chapi at his church is a great honor.

"It’s a great blessing," he said. "We are here to celebrate and honor our Mother here."

Astuhaunan said that in Arequipa, the Virgin performed a miracle for his brother, who was working there.

Each year on May 1 thousands of devotees of the Virgen de Chapi (Virgin of Chapi) set out on a 28-mile journey from the city of Arequipa to the Virgin’s isolated desert sanctuary. Also known as the Virgin of Purification or the Virgin of Candelaria of Chapi, she is the patron saint of Arequipa and one of the most widely venerated religious icons of southern Peru.

The Virgin of Chapi wasn’t always so popular. According to tradition, in 1790 Juan de Dios José Tamayo, the parish priest of Pocsi, was moving the small image of the Virgin from one place to another when suddenly, in the middle of the desert, it became so heavy it couldn’t be budged.

Some among the group of people accompanying the image heard it say, "¡Chaypi, chaypi!" Others heard "¡Chajchayllallápi!" or "¡Chajllallápi!" These words all mean "Right here!" in the indigenous languages Quechua and Aymara.

The people took the Virgin’s words to mean that she wanted to remain there, so a sanctuary in her honor was built on that spot, and she’s been known as the Virgen de Chapi ("chaypi") ever since.