A Day of Solemnity and Growth
The Archbishop of Seville, Mons. José Ángel Saiz Meneses, led the processional departure of the Brotherhood of La Milagrosa on the afternoon of Passion Saturday. Accompanied by the delegate of Brotherhoods and Confraternities, Marcelino Manzano, and the parish priest of La Milagrosa, José Antonio Plata, the shepherd of the Archdiocese accompanied the brothers from inside the temple, witnessing firsthand one of the most significant moments of this young corporation, established as a penitential brotherhood in 2015 and based in the Ciudad Jardín neighborhood.
Own Rites and Sustained Growth
Minutes before the departure, the brotherhood’s own and exclusive rite took place: the execution of the order for the arrest of Our Father Jesus of Hope in Aramaic, performed by the Jewish Guard of the Sanhedrin. This act, deeply rooted in the corporation’s identity, rigorously recreates the Gospel passage of the Lord’s capture at the Cedron Bridge. The brotherhood showed notable growth, with a 9.82% increase in the number of participating brothers, totaling 373 penitents, 51 altar servers and acolytes, 35 auxiliaries, and 53 members of the Jewish Guard.
Significant Premieres and Devotional Details
For this penitential station, the image of Our Father Jesus of Hope, a work by José Antonio Navarro Arteaga (2008), wore a new green tunic donated by a group of brothers and blessed by the archbishop before the departure. Mary Most Holy of the Rosary, a sorrowful figure carved by Francisco Buiza in 1963, premiered a delicate applied lace. On the canopy float, two candles were previously melted: one dedicated to organ donors and another offered to the Association of Parents of Children with Cancer of Andalusia (Andex), in a gesture of Christian charity. It was also the first processional departure for the new elder brother, Francisco Javier Martín Guerrero.
Musical Accompaniment and Foreman
The musical accompaniment was provided by the Agrupación Musical Virgen de los Reyes, which premiered the march «El Galeón de la Esperanza,» dedicated to the titular figure, and by the Banda de Música María Santísima de la Victoria (Las Cigarreras), which premiered «Milagro de fe,» dedicated to the Virgin. Both floats were led by foreman Ricardo M. López-Almansa Ruiz, at the head of a team of 220 bearers. The presence of the archbishop, who performed the first two calls of the floats, the growth of the procession, and the care in every detail made this departure an authentic catechesis in the street, faithful to its neighborhood and to the evangelizing sense of the eve of Seville’s Holy Week.
Original source: www.artesacro.org (published on March 28, 2026)
Photo: Soma Laszlo on Unsplash
