Few people outside of Spain know that tradition recognizes Saragossa as the oldest place of worship in Europe dedicated to the Virgin Mary. There are many Marian sanctuaries that came into existence following an apparition of the Mother of God. But none boasts the antiquity or the particularity of Saragossa. This date also commemorates the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492. It was under the Franco regime that it was chosen to be the date of the national holiday, a date that was confirmed in 1981 after the restoration of the monarchy (in 1975), as "a national holiday and a day of hispanicity".
In Jerusalem, it is a tradition to celebrate this day in prayer with a Solemn Mass in the presence of the Consul General of Spain.
The Custodial Vicar, Brother Artemio Vitores, his compatriot, was the principal celebrant of the Mass of the day, in the presence of a few representatives of the Spanish community. In his homily, he also recalled that this day commemorates the fire that ravaged the Holy Sepulcher 200 years ago. "The fire marked the beginning of the distancing of the Catholic nations from the cause of the holy places, because Western anticlerical politics resulting from the French Revolution had inoculated them with the virus of laicity."
"In theory, there should not have been any opposition between religion and the state because the laicity of the state is a legitimate principle if it is conceived as a distinction between the political community and the religious community, and Christians are the disciples of He who pronounced the lapidary phrase: "give unto Caesar what is due to Caesar and unto God what is due to God," Brother Artemio continued, before going on to wish, like St. Peter, for an open laicity.
It is therefore in religious and peaceful recollection that the Spanish national anthem, La Marcha Real (The Royal March), sounded in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
"This is always a very moving holiday," declared the Consul General, Mr. Ramon Ansoain. This holiday reminds us of the history of our country, as the Custodial Vicar underlined, and its role in the evangelization of America and the expansion of Hispanic culture." The Consul General continued, "The Spanish community under the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Jerusalem (Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories) includes 4-5000 members. Most are connected with religious communities, but there is also in Jerusalem and in Israel a Spanish Jewish community. In Spain, Judaism, Christianity, Islam have strongly marked the culture."
"Today, the day of a national holiday, is not a time to divide ourselves, but to unite ourselves. It is not a place for walls, but for bridges," concluded Brother Artemio.
Mab
In Jerusalem, it is a tradition to celebrate this day in prayer with a Solemn Mass in the presence of the Consul General of Spain.
The Custodial Vicar, Brother Artemio Vitores, his compatriot, was the principal celebrant of the Mass of the day, in the presence of a few representatives of the Spanish community. In his homily, he also recalled that this day commemorates the fire that ravaged the Holy Sepulcher 200 years ago. "The fire marked the beginning of the distancing of the Catholic nations from the cause of the holy places, because Western anticlerical politics resulting from the French Revolution had inoculated them with the virus of laicity."
"In theory, there should not have been any opposition between religion and the state because the laicity of the state is a legitimate principle if it is conceived as a distinction between the political community and the religious community, and Christians are the disciples of He who pronounced the lapidary phrase: "give unto Caesar what is due to Caesar and unto God what is due to God," Brother Artemio continued, before going on to wish, like St. Peter, for an open laicity.
It is therefore in religious and peaceful recollection that the Spanish national anthem, La Marcha Real (The Royal March), sounded in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
"This is always a very moving holiday," declared the Consul General, Mr. Ramon Ansoain. This holiday reminds us of the history of our country, as the Custodial Vicar underlined, and its role in the evangelization of America and the expansion of Hispanic culture." The Consul General continued, "The Spanish community under the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Jerusalem (Jerusalem and the Palestinian Territories) includes 4-5000 members. Most are connected with religious communities, but there is also in Jerusalem and in Israel a Spanish Jewish community. In Spain, Judaism, Christianity, Islam have strongly marked the culture."
"Today, the day of a national holiday, is not a time to divide ourselves, but to unite ourselves. It is not a place for walls, but for bridges," concluded Brother Artemio.
Mab