Congress for Hispanics on devotion to Mary to be held in Orlando

Miami, Fla., Oct 20, 2010 / 15:15 pm

The office of Hispanic Ministry of the Diocese of Orlando, together with the Secretariat for Evangelization, announced that the first Diocesan Marian Congress 2010 will take place Oct. 22-23. The event will focus on the value of traditions maintained by Hispanics in south Florida, such as devotion to the Virgin Mary.

The event will be held at the Basilica of Mary Queen of the Universe on Oct. 22, and at Holy Family parish in Orlando on October 23.

Thomas Evans, director of the Hispanic Ministry office, said, “We are very proud and happy about two aspects of this first Diocesan Marian Congress 2010.  The first is the sense of community that the opening ceremony will have, and second, the value of the Hispanic traditions that we ought to share with the entire Catholic community of Florida.”

The congress will begin with the recitation of the Rosary in various languages and then a Mass in which a group of students from Bishop Moore Catholic High School will crown the Virgin Mary.

The event will be attended by Bishop Eduardo Chavez, rector of the Institute for Guadalupe Studies of the Archdiocese of Mexico, who will reflect on “the role of Mary in Christian prayer” and on “Our Lady of Guadalupe in daily prayer.”  Bishop Chavez was one of the postulators of the cause of canonization of St. Juan Diego.