The Tinajo City Council, together with the parish priest of the Ermita de Los Dolores, Juan Antonio Artiles, has specified the program of religious events dedicated to the festivity of Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores, in a very special year due to the health measures derived from the fight against Covid-19.
According to the City Council, although the celebrations are going to be "very different" from those of other years, it will be possible to visit the Virgin, who will remain in a prominent place from September 7 to 27, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Also, mass will be celebrated every day at 6:30 p.m., except on Sundays, which will be at 9:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., always with a limited capacity of 66 people.
On September 15, the big day and Solemnity of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, the Eucharists will be at 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. and, for all those who cannot attend due to the capacity limitation, the Canarian Television will be in charge of broadcasting it and making it reach all homes.
The Consistory indicates that all the programming will be carried out "unless a superior order derived from the fight against Covid-19 appears during the days dedicated to Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores".
Mask and limited capacity
For the parish priest Juan Antonio Artiles, “these will be days different from those we were used to”. "There will be no fair, the pilgrimage is 'not even smelled', there is no mass in the street with the bishop, we will have to wear a mask, wash our hands with soap and water or with hydrogel and the capacity of the hermitage is limited to 66 people", he points out.
"Despite everything, Nuestra Señora de Los Dolores is still waiting for us, in her temple, which is ours, so that we can present our life, our illusions, our desire and, also, our desires and hopes. Nuestra Señora de los Dolores is, despite these arduous times, watching over and taking care of her children, of us. She continues to give us strength to cope with problems,” concludes the parish priest.
The mayor of Tinajo, Jesús Machín, expresses his regret in the greeting of the festivities for not being able to celebrate them as in previous years, but points out that “that does not mean that you cannot honor her”. "Because every time you act with prudence and respect towards others, every time you put on your mask, maintain the necessary interpersonal distance and wash your hands with hydrogel, you are also showing your respect to her," he adds.
Machín clarifies that “this year there will be no pilgrimage, no procession, no activities, no festivals, no craft fairs”, but devotion to the Virgin can be shown “with prudence, common sense and caution”, and reiterates that “with such simple gestures we can save the lives of many people”.
"Because with those gestures we build a wall that will prevent the virus from continuing to advance. Do you remember that girl, Juana Rafaela? She was the one who transmitted the message of the Virgin to others. She was brave, right? And aren't you? Now it's your turn to carry a message, but this time it won't be so that we can build a hermitage, this time it will be so that we can build a future," he said.
