The residents and visitors of Caleta de Famara celebrated this Sunday the big day of the festivities in honor of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Mary.
The day began at 12 noon with the celebration of the Eucharist, presided over by the parish priest of Teguise, Juan Manuel Molina. The small hermitage could not accommodate all the parishioners, many of whom followed the mass from outside.
At the end of the Eucharist, the image of the Sacred Heart of Mary went out in procession, touring some of the streets of Caleta de Famara. The image was carried by porters who took turns participating in the honor of carrying their Patron Saint. The tour culminated on the beach, where a boat was waiting to take the image along the coastline of La Caleta.
The maritime tour included the participation of small boats not only from Caleta de Famara, but also from Caleta de Caballo and La Graciosa Island. From land, a large audience followed the maritime procession, waiting for the return next to the beach and its surroundings. Upon arrival of the image and during the disembarkation, cheers and applause were heard to the Patron Saint, accompanied by the musical chords of the Teguise Music Band, “Teguiband”, which accompanied the processional route from the beginning.
Without a doubt, it was a very special day for the residents of Caleta de Famara, who look forward with hope and devotion to this annual event to walk their Patron Saint through the streets and the coast that in times not so far away was their livelihood, extracting the fish that sustained their families.
Historical References: According to the Historical Archive of Teguise, in 1906, Don José Ramírez Vega began the procedures to build a hermitage under the invocation of the Sacred Heart of Mary on a plot next to La Caleta beach. The hermitage was completed in 1907.