Archbishop Alfredo José Espinoza Mateus, SDB, of Quito, Ecuador, served as principal celebrant and homilist of the annual Our Lady of Cisne Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Our Lady of Cisne is a prominent Marian devotion in Ecuador. The Mass featured a pilgrim figure of Our Lady of Cisne from Ecuador. 

“With joy – with much joy we are all here, because Our Lady of Cisne, we call her Mother; she is our Mother,” Archbishop Espinoza said in his welcoming remarks at the start of Mass, which was conducted in Spanish and held the afternoon of Sunday, September 28. “She has come here from our country, Ecuador; she has come to visit all of you, because a mother always worries about her sons and daughters.” More than 1,000 people attended. 

The homily message 

During the homily, the archbishop, from the Salesians of Don Bosco, told the faithful, “I bring greetings from all the bishops of Ecuador to all of you. And I bring, in a special way, the message to pray for our country which is living through difficult moments.” He went on to cite the day’s Gospel reading from Luke 16, noting the humbleness of a poor man, Lazarus, and the indifference of a rich man, whose name is not mentioned – and the reversal of fortune in the afterlife. 

“The door of the house of the rich is always closed to the poor. And if we see, my brothers and sisters, in today’s world, this has not changed,” Archbishop Espinoza said. “Not only is the door closed, but also the heart is closed…The rich man suffers from an illness, a strong blindness, we could say. Because he is not capable of seeing beyond his world – a world filled with banquets and rich attire…Lamentably, today there are many blind people who do not want to see beyond their world.” 

The archbishop also noted the words of Pope Francis, that we live “in a culture of indifference,” that we should remember the importance of compassion and responsibility. “As Christians that we are, we cannot and we should not close that door…We should extend our hand, approach the helpless, and bend down to heal their wounds…Pope Leo XIV affirms that with clarity: the poor are not a distraction for the Church; they are the brothers and sisters more loved.” The archbishop said it is all about “touching the truth of the Gospel, touching the suffering Christ.” 

He said one should see with the eyes and heart of Mother Mary, “filled with love, filled with affection.” 

Words of thanks 

Closing words of gratitude were offered by Deacon Carlos Campoverde of Church of the Assumption, Peekskill, who thanked Archbishop Espinoza for his visit from Ecuador to celebrate the Mass. Deacon Campoverde also thanked the concelebrants, the event volunteers, and the New York archdiocesan Cultural Diversity Apostolate. 

“¡Que viva la Virgen del Cisne!” the deacon asserted. The faithful responded, “¡Que viva!” 

The historic statue of Our Lady of Cisne, sculpted in 1594, is made of wood and kept in the National Shrine of Our Lady of El Cisne in the town of El Cisne, Ecuador. Our Lady of Cisne shares the same feast day as the Assumption of Mary, August 15.