The Virgin of Los Dolores will be transferred in pilgrimage to Arrecife on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the end of the eruption of the Capellanía del Clérigo Duarte volcano, between the towns of Tao and Tiagua.
The pilgrimage will travel 18 kilometers passing through San Bartolomé, Tinajo and Teguise until reaching the parish of San Ginés, where various acts and celebrations will be programmed.
It will be on November 30th when the image of the Virgin of Los Dolores will spend eight days in the Church of San Ginés in the capital of Lanzarote, until December 8th. The rest of the time, this image crowns the Church of Los Dolores in the town of Mancha Blanca in Tinajo.
Only on two previous occasions has it been transferred out of Mancha Blanca to the capital. The first time was during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and the second in 1965.
“This pastoral decision responds to a recurring demand from Lanzarote society, both from those who experienced the last pilgrimage 59 years ago, and from the new generations who wish to experience this event transmitted by their elders. In addition, this event is part of the pastoral project designed by the Diocese of the Canary Islands for the next three years, and serves as a prelude to the Jubilee of 2025”, explains the Auxiliary Bishop of the Canary Islands, Mons. Cristóbal Déniz Hernández.
“The Church trusts that this initiative will mobilize the Lanzarote community and provide a spiritual guide similar to the historic procession of 1736, when the inhabitants of the island took the Virgin to the lava flows to stop a volcanic eruption, a promise that culminated with the construction of the hermitage of Mancha Blanca”, he adds.
The president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, has shown his “enthusiasm and his total willingness to promote the necessary steps to ensure that the journey meets all the conditions of safety and participation and that this historic event for Lanzarote has the support of the Lanzarote and Graciosa society, as well as the collaboration of the municipalities involved.”
The presentation of this event of special interest for the entire Diocese of the Canary Islands and for the island of Lanzarote, convened on Monday morning at the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores de Mancha Blanca (Tinajo), was also attended by the vice president of the Cabildo, Jacobo Medina; the councilor of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Jesús Machín Tavío, among other colleagues from the island Government, as well as the Parish Priest of the Church of San Roque in the municipality of Tinajo, Francisco García Socorro, the mayor of Tinajo, Jesús Machín, and the mayor of Teguise, Olivia Duque.
The Third Descent in History
This will be the third time in history that the image of the Virgin of Los Dolores has made a descent. The last one occurred in 1965, during the “Crusade of the Rosary in Family”, a Catholic movement founded by the priest Patrick Payton, which brought together more than 25,000 people in Arrecife.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of the eruption of the volcano of the chaplaincy of Clérigo Duarte, an event that reinforced the devotion to the Virgin of Sorrows, proclaiming her Virgin of the Volcanoes.
“Although on this occasion we do not face a volcanic threat, we recognize the multiple current threats to global, social and personal coexistence and we hope that this descent will foster a deep and community experience of faith, offering an exemplary guide for personal and social life”, they state from the Diocese.
“We want this synodal experience, symbolized in the expression walking together, to be a framework for living the Christian faith in today's society and a social reference to promote a respectful, empathetic and collaborative coexistence throughout the island”, expressed the Bishop.
“We are sure that this ecclesial and social event will resonate not only in Lanzarote, but throughout our Diocese, strengthening communion and unity in faith and charity under the protection of the Virgin Mary”, he concluded.
The date chosen for the return of the Virgin of Los Dolores to Mancha Blanca is December 8, the feast of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.
