Father Carlos E. Blanco Albarracin led the faithful in praying, “Lord, through the mystery of your infancy, we want to learn of your wisdom and of your grace.” He was serving as principal celebrant and homilist during the annual Mass in honor of the Divine Child Jesus, held Sunday, September 8, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

The Mass, celebrated in Spanish, is a Colombian custom but for the second year was also considered a children’s Mass planned by the Children’s Parish Groups, which organized the gathering in conjunction with the Office of Hispanic Ministry, Archdiocese of New York.

“Today we gather to celebrate the feast of the Divine Child, a feast that has grown from Colombia, a devotion which consists of contemplating the mysteries of the infancy of Jesus,” Father Blanco Albarracin said during his homily. The visiting priest is from Colombia; he recently traveled from Rome where he is studying at the Pontificia Università della Santa Croce (Pontifical University of the Holy Cross).     

He went on to note that many immigrants from Colombia rely faithfully on their devotion to the Divine Child Jesus at the start, during, and after their sacred journeys. “They carry this profound love in their hearts to the different places where they arrive to start a new life, a new path,” he said. Father Blanco Albarracin also told a tale of an emperor, a little boy, and a planted seed that did not grow flowers as expected, a tale about the importance of honesty and integrity (based on a children’s picture book called The Empty Pot).

The priest connected the tale with the day’s Gospel reading from Mark 7 when Jesus heals a deaf and mute man. “Many times we live our lives without being able to listen to the truth, not able to listen to He who can illuminate our lives,” the priest said, noting the importance of not moving away from God toward a life filled “with deceit, pride and arrogance and maybe filled with ignorance.”

Father Blanco Albarracin advised the faithful, “Never tire of transmitting the teachings of Jesus to your children; never tire of sowing that seed in the heart of each of the little ones, transmitting the truth, so that by knowing God they learn to love Him in their hearts.” And he prayed, “Lord, through the mystery of your infancy, we want to learn of your wisdom and of your grace, Amen.”

The priest thanked Church of the Assumption parishioners in Peekskill who served as lead planners of the Mass, a task stemming from their devotion to the Divine Child Jesus.

Father Brian McWeeney, archdiocesan director of the Ethnic Apostolate, served as concelebrant of the Mass. Rosana Malaver, a lead organizer of the liturgical gathering, gave closing remarks of contentment and gratitude.

The Divino Niño, also known as Divino Niño de Bogotá or Divine Child Jesus, is a wooden statue of the child Jesus originating from Bogota, Colombia. A cross originally in the back was removed upon purchase in 1935 at a Bogota store by an Italian Salesian priest, Father Giovanni Rizzo, assigned to Colombia.

The 17-centimeter-high statue with arms outstretched and wearing a traditional pink robe or tunic has an inscription “Yo reinaré” (“I will reign”) at its base, an inscription requested by Father Rizzo. A replica of the statue was present at the Mass. It is one of the most popular religious images in Colombia, especially among Catholics; it reportedly has miraculous powers of healing.