Bishop Heriberto Bodeant: "In Uruguay, Catholic education depends on parents".Conscientious objection recognized in UruguayUruguay is celebrating. On May 6, the capital of the country, Montevideo, will host the beatification ceremony of the first Uruguayan bishop, Monsignor Jacinto Vera. The episcopate The country speaks of him as a "holy man, father of the poor, he was the person closest and most loved by the eastern people, both in cities and in the countryside, in the second half of the nineteenth century". He was recognized by all as a "man of good, of unity and of peace".
The local church is grateful for the figure of Monsignor Vera as "Father and Patriarch, as Master and ever-living example of holiness". The parishes are already completing the preparations begun in 2022, when the miracle of Monsignor Jacinto Vera was approved.
The beatification will take place on May 6 at 4 p.m. in the Olympic Tribune of the Centenario Stadium, located in the city of Montevideo, capital of the country. Cardinal Paulo Cezar Costa, Archbishop of Brasilia, will preside over the celebration. Eucharisticas a representative of Pope Francis.
The Cardinal Daniel SturlaArchbishop of Montevideo, recalls the figure of the soon-to-be-blessed and his pastoral work in an interview published in "Humanitas"a magazine on anthropology and Christian culture. Sturla pointed out that the first bishop "traveled the whole of Uruguay three times, on horseback, by stagecoach, by cart, and when he arrived at a place, he was the first to hear confessions, then to perform baptisms, regularization of marriages, he is an extraordinary figure. Besides, he organized the Uruguayan Church".
A life of dedication
Jacinto Vera was born on an immigrant ship bound for Uruguay in 1813. He was ordained a priest in 1841, standing out for his cheerful personality, his austere style and his dedication to the poor and the sick.
He was appointed Vicar Apostolic in 1859. During this period he had to face interventions of religious hospices, campaigns to discredit him and the need to renew the clergy. In 1865 he was named bishop, participated in the First Vatican Council and finally, in 1878 he was proclaimed the first bishop of Montevideo.
He died in 1881 with a reputation for holiness. Uruguayans consider him father of the Church in the country and father of the poor. Now, with joy, they celebrate the beatification of their first bishop.
