The town of Rute, in the province of Córdoba, experienced a historic weekend with the closing of the Carmelite Jubilee Year, granted by the Vatican on the occasion of the centenary of the patronage of Our Lady of Mount Carmel over the town. Despite the entire province being under a weather alert for rain, the image of the patron saint went out in procession from her sanctuary to the parish of Santa Catalina Mártir de Alejandría, where the Pontifical Eucharist was celebrated.
A Procession Under the Sun
Just after 8:00 AM on Saturday, Our Lady of Mount Carmel began her morning transfer, accompanied by representatives of her Royal Archconfraternity, the youth group Iuventus Carmeli, and the Carmelitana Mayor with her Court of Honor 2024. Musically, the procession was escorted by the Brothers of the Dawn, who sang couplets in honor of the patron saint. While it poured in the rest of the province, in Rute the sun’s rays illuminated the mountains, an event that the faithful considered a sign of the Virgin’s protection.
Pontifical Mass Presided Over by Rouco Varela
At 10:00 AM, the closing pontifical Mass began at the parish of Santa Catalina, presided over by Cardinal and Archbishop Emeritus of Madrid, Antonio María Rouco Varela. In his homily, he congratulated the people of Rute and encouraged them to continue being faithful servants of Jesus, as the Virgin Mary was at the foot of the cross. The celebration featured the participation of the Coral Polifónica Bel Canto de Rute, the vocal group Lyrica, and the string quartet Nomina Sacra, and gathered nearly 600 people, including Mayor David Ruiz, the coordinator of the Institute of Youth of the Junta de Andalucía in Córdoba, Carmen María Arcos, and the provincial deputy for Social Rights, Irene Araceli Aguilera. During the Eucharist, the Rute City Council presented the Virgin with a mantilla.
Extraordinary and Multitudinous Procession
After midday, the extraordinary procession began, at which point the sky, which had remained gray during the Mass, opened up again. The Rosario de Cádiz Cornet and Drum Band opened the procession, followed by the paso de palio of the Virgin and the Rute Municipal Music Band, which played marches dedicated to the patron saint. The procession traveled through the most central streets of the town, reaching the Hermitage of Vera Cruz, where the holders of the Confraternity of the Holy True Cross and Charity awaited the Virgin. On Granada Street, the crowd of faithful was so numerous that the street was insufficient to hold them. Upon arriving at Plaza del Carmen, the nerve center of Rute, the Virgin received a shower of petals, which attendees interpreted as a confirmation of divine protection, in contrast to the yellow weather alert for rain that was in effect in the region.
Farewell and Return to the Sanctuary
The Rosario de Cádiz Cornet and Drum Band bid farewell by playing their most emblematic march, ‘Eternity’, leaving an indelible mark on those present. The pasodoble ‘Reina y Señora’, performed by the Rute Municipal Music Band, accompanied the Virgin to the doors of her sanctuary, where a loud thunderclap announced the end of the Carmelite Jubilee Year. Half an hour after the patron saint entered her sanctuary, the rain began to fall, watering the olive groves of the area, an event that the faithful considered miraculous.
Original source: www.eldiadecordoba.es (published on October 13, 2024)
Photo: Pille R. Priske on Unsplash
