The annual Our Lady of Providence Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral was held on Sunday, November 17. Our Lady of Providence is the patroness of Puerto Rico, and her feast day is November 19. Father Jorge L. Ramirez Quiles, Sch.P., pastor of the Church of St. Helena in the Bronx, served as principal celebrant and homilist.

“¡Que viva la Virgen de la Providencia! ¡Que viva Puerto Rico!” exclaimed Father Ramirez, who was born and raised in Puerto Rico, in his welcoming remarks at the start of Mass. And the faithful replied “¡Que viva!” “Brothers and sisters,” he continued, “we gather on this Sunday to celebrate our patroness of Puerto Rico, but also the Mother of everyone, La Virgen Maria de la Providencia…We are joyful with her; she continues to guide us, to accompany us on the path to Jesus.” The afternoon Mass, celebrated in Spanish, drew about 1,200 people.            

Later in the homily, the pastor shared that as a son of Puerto Rico, it was “an honor” to celebrate the Mass with all the attendees. “Today Mary helps us to understand what we are living, with the end of the liturgical year this coming week, and the celebration of Christ the King of the Universe… As Puerto Ricans, we feel loved by Our Mother and protected by her. She reminds us of knowing how to live in the providence of God, knowing how to live with the help from God that is always with us… She lived the Divine Providence of God by the ‘yes’ that she gave Him. She said ‘yes’ with a generous heart.”     

“He grants us grace” 

Father Ramirez noted, “Mary lived the Lord’s Providence and learned from it so that we, in looking at her, would live in the same manner and so that we can live trusting in what God has for us, that we can live our mission in fullness. It is He who grants us the grace, the help, His protection.” Highlighting that in the image of Our Lady of Providence, Mary is cradling a sleeping Baby Jesus, the pastor drew the comparison that it’s as if she is assuring us to remain trustful and to know that she will guide us. He shared a memory of when he was a little boy in Puerto Rico, and people would say, “¿Quién a Puerto Rico orienta? La Virgen de la Providencia”. (“Who guides Puerto Rico? Our Lady of Providence.”) 

“Mary reminds us that we are capable of completing the mission if we say ‘yes,’ as she did,” Father Ramirez asserted, noting the importance of saying to God, “Lord, I am not afraid. I trust in you, and in your providence that accompanies me.” 

Juan Sotomayor, president of the Our Lady of Providence Committee, Archdiocese of New York, gave closing words of gratitude, saying he hopes to see everyone in the pews return for next year’s Providence Mass “with the blessing of God.” 

During the Mass, a statue of Our Lady of Providence was on display at the steps of the sanctuary.                               

Our Lady of Providence

On November 19, 1969, Pope Paul VI declared Our Lady of Divine Providence the patroness of Puerto Rico, choosing that date because it is also the day Puerto Rico was discovered by European explorers.     

The original image of Our Lady of the Divine Providence was a 16th-century oil painting by  Italian painter Scipione Pulzone, titled “Divinae Providentiae,” which depicted the Virgin Mary cradling a sleeping infant Jesus. Devotion to Our Lady of Divine Providence originated in Italy and spread to France and Spain. The devotion was brought to Puerto Rico in the early 1850s by the Servite Order.