The celebration of the Virgin of Solitude, considered by Puerto Escondido fishermen as their patron saint, took place Sunday for the first time in two years.
The celebration began very early in the morning with the traditional mañanitas to the Virgin.
A pilgrimage at sea began in the late afternoon at Playa Principal where about 100 boats adorned with flowers and balloons accompanied a statue of the Virgin to La Punta and back.
The Bishop of the Diocese of Puerto Escondido, Monsignor Florencio Armando Colín Cruz, accompanied the Virgin on her journey at sea, at the end of which a Eucharistic celebration was held at the beach at Bahía Principal.
During his message, Colín recalled that until a few months ago people in Puerto Escondido were still living with the scourge of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had shut down the annual celebration for the last two years.
The statue that sailed from Bahía Principal to La Punta is a replica of the image venerated in the Basilica of the same name in the city of Oaxaca. The bishop explained that “it is a replica of the image of the Virgin of Solitude of Oaxaca, but this one acquires very special characteristics, she is the patron saint of fishermen.”
In this sense, he remarked that the fishermen entrust themselves to her every time they set out, or when they have a problem or mishap, because she is the one who protects them.
More than 20 fishing cooperatives participated in the pilgrimage, which has been a tradition for more than four decades.
With reports from Estado Actual
