Nearly 100 Catholic Venezuelans gathered at Saint Therese of the Child Jesus Catholic Church in Midvale on Sept. 8 to celebrate Our Lady of Coromoto, the patron saint of Venezuela.
Members of the comité coromotano de Utah participated in the celebration, a ministry that offers praise to Our Lady through song and acts of charity.
According to Gregorio Rausseo, pastor of St. Therese Parish, the story of Our Lady of Coromoto serves as a reminder that running from a mission does not make it disappear.
The history of the saint dates to the 17th century in Venezuela, when Mary appeared to the leader of the Coromoto people to assist in bringing the Gospel to the tribe. After initially refusing baptism, the chief was bitten by a venomous snake and subsequently requested baptism, which resulted in his healing.
Following his conversion, the Coromoto people were also baptized. In the 1700s, a church was constructed in Mary's honor in Guanare, where a shrine now exists at the site of her second apparition. Both the church and the shrine serve as minor basilicas.
The relic associated with Our Lady of Coromoto is considered a mysterious Marian relic. During a 2009 restoration, details emerged that appear to reflect 17th-century Venezuelan indigenous culture. The image appears to hover over its material without ink penetrating the fibers.
Jose Zambrano, a member of the comité coromotano choir, stated that keeping traditions alive while far from their home country is a blessing.
The Venezuelan episcopate declared this apparition the patroness of Venezuela in 1942. Pope Pius XII ratified the designation in 1944 and crowned her in 1952.
