Our Lady of the Angels
Virgen De Los Angeles, Marian holy cards collection
ML. 031 Box 22, circa 1675-2018. Marian Library,
University of Dayton Libraries, Dayton, Ohio.
Country
Costa Rica
Description
Our Lady of the Angels is also known by many different names, including "Queen of Costa Rica." The statue of her was found on the day that the Franciscans celebrate the feast of Our Lady of the Angels, resulting in the statue being named Our Lady of the Angels. (Santora, 337) Since then, the statue has also gone by different names, such as the Princess of Peace during the civil war in 1833. The statue was said to have its origins on August 2nd, 1635 when Juana Pereira, a dark woman of mixed blood, was out gathering wood. As she was gathering wood she came across what she believed to be a doll standing on a rock (Santora, 337). She took the doll home with her and put it in a box. Later that day, she went back out and saw the rock from earlier, but again there was the statue. She returned home and checked the box from earlier, only find it empty. She brought the statue to Father Baltazar de Grado, who was the priest of Cartago at that time. She told him about what had happened, and after continuously putting the doll back in the box, it would continue to disappear. Father Baltazar de Grado’s reason for these events was that Blessed Mother did not like being kept in a tiny box (Santora, 338). Father Baltazar de Grado then decided to have the rock put into the sanctuary of the church. Since Our Lady of the Angels has dark skin, the rock is was relocated to a basilica where many Black people live. The rock currently has sacred water that bubbles up from underneath it. Ever since the rock was brought to Father Baltazar in 1635 there has been a celebration. The celebration is held annually on August 2nd, and it draws in people from all across Costa Rica and other nearby countries. The following day, the rock is then carried to Central Carrago, where it is kept in a church for a couple of days, it is then returned back to the basilica (Santora, 338).
Santoro, Nicholas J. Mary in Our Life: Atlas of the Names and Titles of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and Their Place in Marian Devotion. IUniverse, 2011.
Researched by Michael H. Meade
Popular Devotions
Prayer:
Blessed Mother,
among the people of Costa Rica,
you were welcomed as Our Lady of the Angels.
May we preserve in announcing the message of your Son,
And never hesitate to turn to you for assurance in times of distress.
Amen. (Michaels, 19)
Michaels, Daniel T. Mary throughout Latin America. Liguori, 2005.
Hail Mary
Dios te salve, María.
Llena eres de gracia: El Señor es contigo.
Bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres.
Y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre: Jesús.
Santa María, Madre de Dios,
ruega por nosotros pecadores,
ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte.
Amen.
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