Veronica Solis has grown in her love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, largely through the strength of popular piety translated into her membership of the Hermandad del Señor Sepultado y María Santísima de la Soledad del templo de la Escuela de Cristo (Brotherhood of the Buried Lord and Mary Most Holy of Solitude of the Temple of the School of Christ). of the city of Antigua, Guatemala.
Although he currently lives in the United States, his Marian devotion brings him back to Antigua every year to live these days of Passion together with his family of the Brotherhood of the Virgin Mary. School of Christ.
As a woman and a member of the Sisterhood, what does membership in the Sisterhood add to your faith and social life?
-Belonging to the Sisterhood has been an undeserved privilege for me, as I am part of a group of women of all ages and from all walks of life, whom I admire for their faith and devotion.
Many of them have more than 50 years of accompanying and carrying our Blessed Mother through the streets of Antigua Guatemala. They are women, mothers, wives, daughters, housewives, professionals, workers who, in those days before Good Friday and Saturday of Glory, have made countless efforts to contribute their time, their money and their fatigue to accompany Mary in the hardest moments of her life.
In my case, my fraternity with the other sisters is reduced to offering prayers for them and trying to live together during the days of Holy Week, since I do not live in Guatemala.
My personal contribution is very small compared to what they do during this time and all year round, since I live in the United States with my husband, Roberto and my daughter, Maria Ximena (both doctors).
My husband is celebrating 50 years of participating in this beautiful tradition this Holy Week and it is thanks to him that my daughter and I began our participation.
My faith life has had a constant growth thanks to the devotion to Mary, instilled by my grandmother and my mother since I was a child. I have been able to deepen much more by accompanying our Sorrowful Mother every Holy Week and seeing how She, suffering as the Mother of Jesus during His Passion and Death, endured all that pain for you and me... She had us in mind! She knew that seeing her Son suffer, meant our salvation She loved us from that moment on!
How does this example of Our Blessed Mother translate into your life?
-The most impressive example of Mary Most Holy to me is when She was "standing" by the cross... Yes, standing! She never drew attention to herself with dramatic expressions or cries of despair.
Silently she bore her pain and felt the sword piercing her heart, but always at her son's side with total abandonment to the Father's will.
This makes me put into perspective the difficult moments in my life and realize that they cannot compare to what she went through. It comforts me to know that, just as she stood by the Cross, she is with me, interceding for me before Him.
Her example of fortitude (one of the gifts of her husband, the Holy Spirit) is what helps me, every day, to move forward and improve in my abandonment to His Most Holy Will.
I still have a long way to go, but I know that she accompanies me and I try to thank her daily during Holy Mass and the Holy Rosary.
The procession of María Santísima de la Soledad from the Escuela de Cristo church is one of the most beloved and well-known in Guatemala. How do you prepare and experience this procession?
-The preparations begin many months before. The designs of the processional platform are chosen, the ornaments are outlined, the dresses that Our Mother will wear during the two days; the people who will be in charge of organizing the shifts of approximately 4,000 women are chosen, organizing them by height.
In addition, the flowers are prepared, the Rosary is prayed, the vigil is held on Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday and the musicians are organized, the people who will lead the others in each block where there is a change of shift.
The sisters who maintain order in the rows on the sides of the procession must also be established.
I think it would be an understatement to list the different activities involved in the organization of this beautiful tradition.
Women, as mothers, wives and the center of family life, are a privileged way of transmitting the faith. What are the challenges for women involved in a Sisterhood such as yours in today's world?
-By belonging to any association within the Church, one as a member commits oneself to be a person of integrity. It is about living by example in every circumstance and aspect of life.
Living as a child of God is not easy, since many have forgotten about Him or have left Him for an hour on Sunday (hopefully), or have met "other gods".
Many times within our own families we encounter adversities, but I believe that, if we keep "standing" by the Cross with Mary, we will find the way to move forward, since we can count on her intercession.
