Caieiras (Brazil) – On November 30, twenty-five graduates from the St. Thomas Aquinas Theological Institute received a Bachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology from the Bolivarian Pontifical University of Medellin, Colombia. Dr. Johman Esneider Carvajal Godoy, Dean of the School of Theology, Philosophy and Humanities, representing Fr. Diego Alonso Marulanda Díaz, rector general, presided over the ceremony, with the presence of Fr. Diego Alberto Uribe Castrillón, responsible for academic affiliations of the same university.
Spain – Representatives of the Heralds of the Gospel in this nation gathered in jubilation at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in the city of Zaragoza, for the traditional floral offering to the Blessed Virgin, which was held this year on January 28.
Commemoration of Epiphany
The Scriptures narrate that, having come from the East, the Wise Men worshipped the newborn Christ Child and offered Him gold, frankincense and myrrh, (cf. Mt 2:11).
This year, however, on the liturgical celebration of the Solemnity of the Epiphany, the Three Kings Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar also distributed their gifts at the Heralds’ house in the city of Sevilla la Nueva, Spain and in Lima, Peru, as well as at the Mother of Good Counsel Church in Ypacaraí, Paraguay.
Also, gifts were distributed by St. Nicholas to around six hundred children in the Heralds’ church, still under construction, in El Salvador, an event attended by Archbishop Luigi Roberto Cona, the Apostolic Nuncio to this country.
Syria – Families in Syria are now able to partake in the blessings that come with the Mary, Queen of Hearts Shrine Apostolate. The above photos show views of the Shrine-launching ceremony at the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima, in Damascus, held in January.
Colombia – The Pilgrim Statue of the Immaculate Heart of Mary visited, in January, the Cathedral of St. Ezequiel Moreno in the city of Pasto, and Immaculate Conception Parish, in Pereira.