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Published Friday, May 8, 2020
La Negrita will
travel again over the country The image of the Virgin of the Angels, known as La Negrita, and the patron saint of Costa Rica, will fly again over the country during the weekend. The Basilica of Our Lady of The Angeles reported that the Virgin's journey is called “The Flight of Hope” and will take place on Saturday and Sunday. On both days La Negrita will be in flight at 7 a.m. starting from Cartago and flying over the country until 1:00 p.m. The flight will be done on either a private plane or helicopter. The Bishop of Cartago, Monsignor Mario Enrique Quirós Quirós will be in charge of taking the idol and flying over all the main churches in each province: Alajuela, Guanacaste, Cartago, San Jose, Puntarenas and Limon. If you wish to greet the virgin you can do so by waving white handkerchiefs when she flies over your neighborhood. Officers of the Air Surveillance Service will donate their services to help protect the famous patron saint of the country. La Negrita is the boss or patron of Costa Rica expected to help them throughout their life, according to Catholics in the country. La Negrita is a stone sculpture that measures about 20 centimeters and is composed of volcanic rock, graphite and jade. Since the rock is black, people call it “La Negrita” but it is presumed to be the image of the Virgin Mother of Jesus. The image has a round face, slanted eyes, a little nose and a small mouth. In her left arm, she holds the baby Jesus whose right hand is raised as in giving a blessing. The name given to the idol is Virgin of Los Angeles because she was discovered on August 2, 1635, by the Franciscan Order venerating its patron saint, Santa María de los Ángeles. On Sept. 24, 1824, by decree of the highest political authorities of the country, the Virgin of the Angels was declared as the official patron of Costa Rica. La Negrita isn’t just for Catholics, but she is important to the country. The idea for the holy image to travel the country by plane or helicopter was from the Episcopal Conference of Costa Rica, the Basilica of La Virgen de Los Angeles and the Ministry of Security.  This is the second time that the Virgin flies around the country, on March 21 and 22, she flew over the main churches of the country. On that occasion, La Negrita was escorted by the priest José Francisco Arias, rector of the church in Cartago. "We have made this trip to foster the faith and hope of Costa Ricans due to the coronavirus covid-19 emergency," said the Catholic Church in its statement. If you cannot see the Virgin flying over your neighborhood, you can see her via live stream on the Facebook page of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels. --------------------- Have you seen La Negrita at Cartago church ? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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