Father Gabriel Curtis of the Archdiocese of Newark, served as principal celebrant and homilist during the annual Mass in honor of Our Lady of Purisima at St. Patrick’s Cathedral – speaking to the faithful about the significance of “the Body and the Blood” that the Savior offered, and the “purest Virgin Mary (la Purisima Virgen Maria).”   

Our Lady of Purisima is a Marian devotion in Nicaragua associated with the Immaculate Conception. The Mass, conducted in Spanish, was celebrated on the afternoon of Sunday, December 3. Father Curtis, a native of Managua, Nicaragua, currently resides at Our Lady of Mount Virgin Parish in Garfield, New Jersey. He serves as an educator at Seton Hall University.             

“Mary is immaculate – pure and clean from all stains of sins,” Father Curtis said at the start of the homily, citing the importance of Mother Mary’s “La Purisima” title in Nicaragua. He also spoke of historical papal declarations regarding Blessed Mother Mary; “the comfort and the hope” that she provides; the importance of battling evil; and relying on the intercessions of Mary. 

“The Church that pilgrims in these lands has experienced the maternal presence, help, protection, and relief of the Virgin throughout its history. In natural disasters; volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, hurricanes, and landslides, among the most precious assets that families seek to rescue is their Image of the Purísima, she gives them comfort and hope in precariousness and misfortune,” Father Curtis said. 

“In forced displacement, migration or exile, in the suitcase of the Nicaraguan or in one of his parcels there is the power to carry his family Image of the Purísima. And it is that she, the Virgin, The Most Pure, is not only in the soul and religious identity of the Nicaraguan culture, but we carry her in our hearts, in our DNA, in our blood. She gives us a sense of belonging to the country, to the home,” the priest added. “For this reason, anywhere in the world, we are known for the cry that characterizes us (during these early December days): ‘Who causes so much joy?’” 

“The conception of Mary!” the faithful in the pews shouted. 

Father Curtis, citing the words of the late Nicaraguan Cardinal Miguel Obando, SDB, said, “It is true, the Virgin Mary is for everyone. What happens is that in Nicaragua the Virgin has a letter of citizenship.” This was greeted with loud applause from many of the more than 1,000 people in the pews.

Among the faithful were Lucy Ramirez, 69, and her daughter-in-law, Jennifer Gonzalez, 42; both are parishioners of Holy Spirit Church in Brooklyn. Ramirez was born and raised in Nicaragua. Gonzalez is Queens-born, Brooklyn-raised, of Nicaraguan parents. 

“We come here every year to celebrate this tradition from my country,” Ramirez, married mother of four and grandmother of 13, told The Good Newsroom before the Mass. “And we gather with other Nicaraguans – that is very important,” she added, noting that she always prays for better, peaceful days in her beloved native land. (Nicaragua has experienced much social unrest in recent years, including government mistreatment of Catholic clergy who support protesters).  

Gonzalez, a married mother of six, said after the Mass, “This has always been important to me – celebrating the Virgin Mary, La Purisima. I’ve instilled it in my children also.”

La Purísima is a Nicaraguan celebration of the “Purest Conception of the Virgin Mary,” which takes place on December 8. Gatherings occur from late November through most of December. The culmination is on December 7, with the Griteria (shouting). The faithful go out into the streets and begin La Gritería of Catholic songs to celebrate the Virgin Mary. This is done out of devotion or gratitude to the miracles attributed to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  

La Purísima is a title of Mary associated with a wooden image carved and venerated by the Nicaraguan faithful, who trace the origin of the image to the former property of Saint Teresa of Ávila and brought by her brother Rodrigo Ahumada from Spain to Nicaragua in the middle of the 16th century.