The Glory and the
Misery of Luján

I saw the misery beyond comparison with anything I had seen in my life before. There were things just resembling houses, but could not be named so, scattered around the dirty and messy ground. And people, barefoot and in worn clothes, living in such poverty. I was crushed, especially when I spotted the silhouette of the Basilica. In one image, one frame, the misery and poverty of the people living together with the glory and glow of the shrine. It was hard to bear

I was on my way to the shrine of Our Lady of Lujan some 70 km from the Capital of Argentina when I had this touching experience. Because it is one of the greatest shrines of the Blessed Virgin in the world, I couldn’t wait to see it, and a feeling of anticipation filled me. I was reminiscing on details about this country, that I had just begun to face up to, and preparing myself for a complete purification. In my mind I was already picturing the magnificent monument, the crowds of pilgrims, the way I had seen it on TV and through other media.

In this country, you cannot fail to notice the strong expression of religious devotion in everyday life. The country itself is full of surprises and, at a first glance, contradictions too. In one thing though the country is harmonized for sure; in its religion. And this was my guiding thought.

I read once that according to reports of the Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, Lujan is among the ten most visited shrines of the Catholic Church. Since I have visited many of the shrines mentioned in that report and since it is an unwritten rule that every Catholic should visit at least one of them, I felt already blessed for having so many opportunities to confirm myself as one of the “faithful”.

The Portugese Immigrant

Enjoying pleasant spring sun thorough the window of my car I closed my eyes and thought of the history of the shrine and how it all started. You see, one of things that I do when I prepare myself for some special event, is to read all that I can find on the event from various perspectives. And I did the same for this trip as well. For example, I didn't know before that until the changes in the Constitution of the Republic of Argentina, in 1994, every elected President had to be Roman Catholic.

It is another reason for me to believe that this country is very religious. Going in that direction I found some more facts on the shrine itself.

The story begins in XVII century. It was a time of great difficulty for new settlers, the daily struggle was so harsh and so the morale of the people was low. In 1630, one man, a Portuguese settler, decided to do something to change this distressing situation. He ordered a simple statue of the Blessed Virgin to be brought from Brazil to Cordova, a city within our borders. There were two statues made for that purpose. One represented the Mother of God with the Child Jesus, and the other, the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception. The statues were very simple, about fifty cm high, made of terra cotta. They were shipped by sea at first and then placed on a cart for the journey inland...

The full article can be found on pages 56-57 of January 2007 issue.