Our Lady of Quinche, Patrona
Virgen Del Quinche, Marian holy cards collection ML. 031 Box 22, circa 1675-2018. Marian Library, University of Dayton Libraries, Dayton, Ohio.
Country
Ecuador
Description
In 1586, a sculptor, Don Diego de Robles, Ecuadorian cedar to carve a statue of the Blessed Mother to look like Our Lady of Guadalupe. Don Diego de Robles had experience creating images of Mary and had been commissioned by the Lumbici Natives to do so. When he completed his work, the Lumbici were unable to pay for the statue. The Oyacachi, however, had a large stockpile of cedar that Don Diego de Robles could use for future sculptors, so he sought them out to trade the statuette for the cedar. The Oyacachi were happy to do so as they had experienced an apparition of Our Lady in a cave, whereupon she had promised to protect their children.
They were surprised when they saw the image that Diego created because it so resembled the apparition in the cave. The Oyacachi and Don Diego agreed to a fair trade, and following this, the Oyacachi asked Diego to build them a shrine for their new image. Initially, Diego declined, but on his trip back from the trade he had an accident and saw it as a sign that he should build the shrine for the image. So he returned did so.
The statuette remained with the Oyacachi until 1604, when it was moved to Quinche, Ecuador, where it got its name. It has since been moved to several different churches, the last one being the chapel of Quinche in 1985, when it was proclaimed a national sanctuary of Ecuador. Our Lady of Quinche also goes by several different names, one of which is “Queen of Ecuador.” Her feast day is November 21.
References:
“Our Lady of Quinche.“ CatholicSaints.Info. Published November 17, 2016. Accessed February 27, 2018.
Santoro, Nicholas Joseph. Mary in Our Life: Atlas of the Names and Titles of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Bloomington: iUniverse, 2011.
Researched by Michael H. Meade
Popular Devotions
Blessed Mother,
in the image of your Presentation,
the people of Ecuador find great security,
Grant that we ,
With your assistance,
May be free from all evil and become temples of your glory.
Amen.
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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