The annual Mass in honor of Our Lady of Nube, a traditional Marian devotion in Ecuador, was held Sunday, December 15, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. 

“We welcome you to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Nube on this third Sunday of the Advent season,” the celebrant, Father Fausto Suárez, a visiting priest from Ecuador, said during welcoming remarks. “In the liturgy, the Church invites us to be joyful – to be joyful in the Lord; this we will hear in the Word. We want to manifest this joy, this gratitude to God, through Our Lady of Nube.”     

He acknowledged the faithful presence of many in the pews of Ecuadorian descent and representing various provinces in Ecuador. About 1,800 people attended the afternoon Mass. Father Suárez serves as spiritual director of the Association of Our Lady of Nube Choirs in Azogues, Ecuador.              

Later in the homily, Father Suárez spoke of the significance of participating “at the table of the Lord, the table of His Word, the table of His Eucharist – so that we are strengthened in the faith… so that we continue our journey in following the Lord.”  

“During the Advent season, we want to see with eyes of devotion toward the Blessed Virgin Mary; the Lord continues to talk to us of His arrival, of His closeness,” the priest said. “From Him comes the initiative of salvation and all that is good. He comes to us. He chose us first – and today also, He motivates us to be in His presence and to be participants of the Bread of the Word and the Bread of the Eucharist.”   

Father Suárez went on to express joyful gratitude for the annual Mass in honor of Our Lady of Nube being celebrated at St. Patrick’s Cathedral since 1993, adding that Mother Mary “welcomes us – she protects us, she guides us because she loves us…One of the Lord’s gifts is joy – it is holy joy, it is Christian joy.” He said the world also offers us joy, but “it is passing joy.” He noted the downfalls that come with feelings of resentment and indifference – and he reminded the faithful of the call from Pope Francis “to renew your encounter with Christ.”

The Mass entrance procession featured a figure of Our Lady of Nube, which was then displayed at the steps of the sanctuary during the liturgy. The annual Mass at the cathedral attracts many of the faithful from Church of the Assumption in Peekskill and the Church of St. Mary in Wappingers Falls, both of which have large populations of immigrants from Ecuador. 

Story of Our Lady of Nube 

When Bishop Sancho de Andrade y Figueroa of Quito, Ecuador, became gravely ill, the local faithful made a prayer procession in late December 1696 with the image of Mary from the Church of Guapulo. On their way, the Blessed Mother appeared in the sky on a cloud (“nube” in Spanish), which was seen by about 500 people.

The bishop miraculously recovered his health; the Franciscan friars later founded a sanctuary in Azogues, known as the Santuario de la Virgen de la Nube. Now, the Fiesta de la Virgen de la Nube takes place in Azogues every year on January 1. The veneration was also adopted by nuns from Lima, who brought the Marian devotion to Peru.