A group of nearly 40 people from the southwest of Chaco participated on Sunday, September 22, in the pilgrimage on horseback to the sanctuary of the Virgin of Laguna, patron saint of the region. The pilgrims, led by Father Marcin Zubik CSsR, a Redemptorist missionary, prayed for the blessing of their agricultural work.
Accompanied by the motto “With Mary we sow good,” the pilgrims left early in the morning from Coronel Du Graty and a few hours later from Villa Ángela. The organizing team emphasized that, in addition to the rural communities and urban chapels of these localities, pilgrims from Quitilipi, San Bernardo and other nearby communities also participated.
The pilgrimage was an initiative of Father Martín Zubik, parish priest of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Villa Ángela and is part of the mission carried out in that parish. This year, it was done with the aim of revaluing the Catholic roots of the Argentine people, keeping in mind that every September 8th, the Day of the Farmer is celebrated.
“It is very significant to come to the Virgin of the Laguna, since her story tells us about the need for water, which is so lacking,” commented the pilgrims on horseback, who upon arrival at the sanctuary, recited the rosary and participated in the blessing of the work tools and seeds.
“The idea is to continue to join with this ride and for all those who want to participate. Following the motto helps us to think that it is in our hands to sow good, and to continue to spread our faith. It is a beautiful proposal to re-evaluate how many of our people witness their faith in their daily work in the field,” they concluded.
The tradition of pilgrimages on horseback is well-known in some regions of Argentina. In the parish of Villa Angela, however, it is a novelty introduced in 2021, adapted as one of the different pastoral actions. Father Martin reported that there have already been 12 pilgrimages of this type in various chapels in the area. On his initiative, an association (Agrupacion gaucha) was also created, which refers to the Argentine tradition of ranchers and shepherds (gauchos).
(aica.org / Scala News)
