Fr Ben Garren

Dear Siblings in Christ,

The pigments were still new to him, the flowers and soil of the South American rain forest markedly different from those of Spain. The painter, Alonso de Narváez, didn’t have access to stretched canvas but the tightly woven manta cloth crafted by indigenous women was sturdy and worked well.

He was tasked by the encomendero, the government official put in charge of the indigenous population, to prepare a portrait of Blessed Mary. He placed it in the chapel at his hacienda—Where it was neglected quickly, exposed to the elements, and began to fade.

When the encomendero died his widow moved away and eventually gave the faded portrait to a small chapel in the community, considering it too worn for her use.

It was then that Maria Ramós began to slowly refurbish the oratory that held the painting. She cleaned the space, filled the cracks in the walls, found proper covering for the windows, and prayed the rosary daily before the portrait of the virgin. The color began to return, tears in the manta cloth began to mend, and soon Maria and the community prayed in the oratory before a brilliant rendering of the Mother of Christ.

This is the day when we celebrate the Virgin of Chiquinquirá, venerated throughout the Andes Mountains, for this miraculous restoration of her portrait in a simple chapel.

What this story reminds me of is that the most well appointed private chapel is of no use if curated just for show while the most humblest of community worship spaces can be the place of miracles if well tended.

When we focus on the simple humbler parts of our spiritual disciplines, with diligence and determination, then we will encounter the miracles of our faith.

Pax,

—Ben