The annual Mass in honor of Our Lady of Altagracia was celebrated Sunday, January 14, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, with Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Espaillat reminding the faithful, “Our identity is God. Seek the One who made you and you will have the answers of life…Why are we here? To adore and serve the Lord!” 

Our Lady of Altagracia is a Marian devotional tradition in the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean ancestral nation of Bishop Espaillat, who served as principal celebrant and homilist of the Mass. More than 1,800 people attended. 

“¡Que viva la Virgen de la Altagracia!” Bishop Espaillat exclaimed during welcoming remarks at the start of the Mass, and the faithful responded, “Que viva!” The bishop then informed the congregation that, after many prayers by Church leaders and the faithful, it had just been announced that bishops, priests, and seminarians who had long been detained in Nicaragua were on a flight to Rome, including Bishop Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa. The faithful loudly and enthusiastically applauded and cheered.             

Later in the homily, Bishop Espaillat spoke of the importance of Church members being active in their parishes, such as joining church groups, instead of just attending Sunday Mass. “You need to integrate yourselves in a parish – in a parish life. You need brothers and sisters who can support you on the journey. Amen?”    

“Amen,” the people replied. 

“By our fruits they will know us,” the bishop reminded the congregation, noting the importance of rejoicing in the Lord, to have joy, delight; to feel joy when one thinks of Him despite life’s challenges. In alluding to the reality and joy of salvation, he instructed the faithful to turn to their brothers and sisters and say, “Hay mas.” (There is more). He then instructed the concelebrants behind him to do the same – and the surprised, smiling concelebrants did just that, saying to each other: “Brother, there is more,” much to the joy of the faithful in the pews.

Bishop Espaillat cited the day’s second reading from Galatians 4, which says in part, “As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”

So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.”

Flora Paulino, 62, was among the faithful in the pews, After the Mass, Paulino, born in the Dominican Republic and a longtime parishioner of St. Rose of Lima in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, told The Good Newsroom, “His (the bishop’s) message was beautiful – very beautiful – everything in the homily…This is the faith I grew with; it is very important in our family.” She said she has attended the annual Altagracia Mass at the cathedral many times.

The Mass concelebrants included Auxiliary Bishop Edmund Whalen; Father Enrique Salvo, rector of the cathedral; and Father Ambiorix Rodriguez, pastor of St. Elizabeth Church in Washington Heights. Father Rodriguez, who is Dominican-born, gave closing words of gratitude.

Our Lady of Altagracia is a portrait of the Virgin Mary in a Nativity scene painted circa 1500 and kept in the Basilica-Cathedral of Our Lady of Altagracia in the city of Higüey, Dominican Republic. Her feast day is January 21.     

The original portrait was crowned twice: on August 15, 1922, during the pontificate of Pius XI; and by Pope John Paul II (now saint), who personally crowned the portrait with a golden silver tiara during his visit to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on January 25, 1979.