A star crowns the tower of the Virgin of the Sagrada FamíliaThis year 2021 the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona has completed "the tower of the Virgin Mary. A great luminous star changes the profile of Barcelona and rises to bring light and hope". It is "a great milestone in the city", and for this reason numerous activities are being held until January 4, with which "we want to commemorate this unique event, which has been made possible thanks to the invaluable collaboration of public and private entities and, especially, thanks to our neighborhood".
This is how the event is described by web This is corroborated, for example, by Llorenç Bernet, who heads the Pastoral Secretariat of the Basilica: "It has been a very lively celebration, both for the Basilica staff and from the streets of Barcelona and also from the media," he told Omnes.
The events took place on December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, when Cardinal Juan José Omella, Archbishop of Barcelona and president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, inaugurated the tower of the Virgin Mary of the Sagrada Familia, with the central moment of the Eucharist, and the subsequent blessing and lighting, for the first time, of the second tallest tower already completed.
The blessing of the tower of the Mother of God could be followed from all over the world, both from Marina Street and live. This can be seen in this brief video.
During the event, an arrangement of the piece was premiered. Magnificat, by the composer Marc Timón and sung by the Orfeó Català.
Collaboration of thousands of people
Already on the 4th, between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., the base of the tower of the Virgin Mary could be seen with its approximately 800 illuminated windows. All thanks to the contribution of 214,582 people from 85 countries who took part in the action promoted by the Sagrada Familia, in which everyone was invited to participate in progressively illuminating the tower. Then, until the 8th, it was possible to participate through the website estel.sagradafamilia.org, where everyone could click on a symbolic point of light that helped to make the illumination a reality.
In the ranking of Spanish Catholic temples by number of visitors in 2019, among the first are the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the cathedrals of Toledo, Seville and Cordoba, that of Santiago de Compostela, due to the pull of the Camino de Santiago, the cathedral of Burgos, the basilica of Pilar in Zaragoza, the Almudena in Madrid, those of Avila and Leon, or that of Sigüenza. It was a information published in mid-May of this year, which described how the light began to return, timidly, to the Spanish cathedrals, which were gradually recovering their cultural, religious and tourist activity, especially on weekends.
Message from Pope Francis
In a video message sent on the occasion of the inauguration of the tower of Our Lady, Pope Francis called Mary "Star of the new evangelization", and "therefore, raising our eyes to the star that crowns the tower, I invite you to contemplate our Mother, 'because every time we look at Mary we believe anew in the revolution of tenderness and affection'" (Evangelii Gaudium, 288).
The Pope wanted to greet "in a special way the poorest of this great city, the sick, those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, the elderly, the young people whose future is compromised by various situations, and those who are experiencing moments of trial. Dear friends, today the star of Mary's tower shines for all of you.
"Together with my brothers - Archbishop Cardinal Juan José Omella and his three auxiliary bishops," the Holy Father added, "you "walk together," that is, synodically, both the lay faithful - children, adolescents, young people and adults - as well as members of consecrated life, seminarians, deacons and priests. On this synodal journey you are illuminated from today by this star that the great architect Antoni Gaudí dreamed would crown the tower of the Virgin Mary".
The Holy Family of Nazareth
The Pontiff also said that he united himself "to your prayers which, like countless roses, are represented at the feet of Mary in that beautiful basilica. I pray that each one of you will make Barcelona more livable and welcoming for all. I commend in a special way those people who play roles of greater responsibility. May the Virgin Mary obtain for them wisdom, promptness in service and broadmindedness. May Holy Mary watch over families with her luminous star. She, forming the Holy Family of Nazareth together with the Child Jesus and St. Joseph, lived through situations similar to so many families like yours".
"Gaudi depicted it in the portal of hope," the Pope noted, "expressing with the faces of the workers the sufferings and hardships that put them in communion with those suffered by the Holy Family, the exile to Egypt of so many poor people seeking a better future or fleeing from evil; the death of so many innocents who join those of Bethlehem. May the Virgin Mary watch over their homes, their schools, universities, offices, businesses, hospitals and prisons. Unwrapping the crown of Our Lady's sorrows, do not cease to pray for the poor, the excluded, because they are in the heart of God. And so often we are responsible for their poverty and exclusion. Let us take the opportunity to examine ourselves, how much responsibility we have in this".
Finally, Francis encouraged the people of Barcelona not to neglect the elderly. "Do not forget the tree, do not forget the elderly. A tree without roots does not grow, does not flourish. Let us not discard the elderly, they are not discarded material, they are living memory. From them comes the sap that makes everything grow. Let us help the dialogue between the young and the old, so that the wisdom that will make them grow and flourish may be passed on to them. May God bless them and may the Holy Virgin, our Immaculate Mother, watch over them. And please do not forget to pray for me. Thank you.
"Emblem of Barcelona, Europe, the world."
With the tower of Mary, 9 of the 18 towers of the temple will be completed. This is the second tallest tower of the Sagrada Familia, 138 meters high, surpassed only by the tower of Jesus Christ, which will reach 172 meters high and will have a large four-armed cross at its highest point, according to the website of the Sagrada Familia. archbishopric of the Condal City. Cardinal Juan José Omella referred to this, among other topics.
The Archbishop of Barcelona recalled that the Sagrada Familia was "the center of Gaudí's professional life," on which he worked "for 43 years and the last twelve exclusively." "Gaudí, known as the architect of God, laid the foundations of a temple that would be, years later, one of the most beautiful and impressive on the entire planet. A temple that has been under construction for more than five generations," said Cardinal Omella.
"To say Gaudí is to say Sagrada Familia. And to say Sagrada Familia is to say Barcelona," Cardinal Omella continued, reported cope.es. "This basilica has become an important artistic, cultural and social heritage. Without intending it, the temple of the Sagrada Familia is the emblem of Barcelona, of Europe, of the world. [...]. And today we are fortunate to be able to inaugurate and bless the tower dedicated to the Mother of God".
"A point of light in Barcelona"
The Archbishop of Barcelona pointed out in his homily that St. Mary formed, together with the Child Jesus and St. Joseph, "the Holy Family of Nazareth" and that "the three of them experienced hardships and difficulties that together they were able to overcome with trust in God". The pandemic "has shown us that we are weak and vulnerable and, therefore, we have become aware of our smallness. What this pandemic has also taught us is that we need each other.
"Holy Mary, our Mother, is a support for many families who need a helping hand to overcome the setbacks that life brings them" and "wants to be our light in the midst of darkness". From today, concluded the cardinal, the star that crowns the tower of Mary "will shine and will be a point of light in the night of Barcelona. But the tower of her Son Jesus Christ will continue to grow in height until it significantly surpasses that of Mary (more than 30 meters).
"When we look at the temple from the sea towards the mountain, that is, looking towards the façade of Glory, we will only see the tower of Jesus Christ. Mary will still be there, even if we do not see her, behind her Son Jesus Christ. Holy Mary, as a good mother and excellent disciple, will remain at her Son's side, ceding to him all the protagonism," he added.
