The objective is to pray for peace, honoring the 250 years of the presence of an image of Our Lady of the Rosary, sculpted in Cadiz (Spain), which the people of Rosario consider "Founder" of the city, a fact that has been symbolically declared in the civil sphere, both by multiple resolutions of the respective Municipality, as well as by provincial and national laws.
Devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary dates back to 1730, when the city was an insignificant hamlet. The love for the Lady of the Rosary grew in a booming way, especially since the arrival of the image commissioned to a sculptor from Cadiz.
In addition to beseeching God, through the intercession of his blessed Mother, for peace, Archbishop Eduardo Martin has promoted that specially blessed replicas of the image, during this time of grace, travel to each and every home, so that peace may effectively reign in them; and he did so by inviting the faithful to receive it in their homes with singular devotion.
Rosario is one of the main cities in the country, with its lights and shadows. As a specific anecdotal fact, we can not fail to point out these days that it is the cradle of great world-renowned leaders in sports and that it is a port and working, agro-industrial and cereal city. But, here are the shadows, drug trafficking in the last 20 years is wreaking havoc, and the main one is the following: there is no peace in the hearts.
The Virgin of the Rosary is recognized as patroness and founder of the city. And this year, as the local bishop rightly points out, it will be an opportune time for "to remember and keep alive the roots that make our identity deep, reaffirming Rosario as a city of Mary, and our archdiocese as an archdiocese of Mary"..
The Marian Year has been the object of attention of Pope Francis, who in addition to granting the usual plenary indulgences, wanted to address a singular and moving message to all the Catholic faithful of the city.
The Pope lived until his election as Roman Pontiff in the city of Buenos Aires, close to Rosario, and is well aware of the main problem of insecurity that afflicts the population: drug trafficking (with all its derivatives: crime, poverty, robbery, family breakdown, irreparable brain damage...). In this regard, he highlights the motto of the Marian Year: "With Mary of the Rosary we mission for peace"..
Bishop Eduardo Martín pointed out: "We need to live in safety and peace in our society. There is so much blood shed, so many families torn apart, so many innocent people who have lost their lives. Therefore, we implore Our Lady for the gift of peace and we commit ourselves to be instruments of that peace that the Lord gives us, being missionaries for peace.".
The Lady of the Rosary is venerated for having dispensed countless graces to her devotees, curing illnesses, bringing rain in times of drought and, above all, protecting the population from the neighboring epidemics and from the bloody attacks of the natives who plagued the population with robberies, kidnappings of women and children, and multiple murders.
According to history, the devotion to the Virgin touched the hearts of the natives, initially hostile, giving way to peace and fraternal coexistence with the settlers, generating attraction for Christian baptism. Thus, in a relatively short time of immense peace (less than one hundred years), Rosario, a city located on the banks of the Paraná River, became a remarkable locality, endowed with one of the main grain exporting ports in the world. This would have been impossible without peace and unity with the natives.
In light of this historical fact, it is worth noting that, 250 years ago, the problem of insecurity in Rosario was external (indigenous hostiles), whereas now it is predominantly internal: drugs and murders; in fact, Pope Francis, in his message, alludes to the almost 300 homicides committed in the city during this year 2022.
Therefore, in contrast to other times, when the Virgin was invoked for external peace (the "malones" (the "malones") that scourged the population), now we pray for the internal peace of hearts, for the young people who are victims of drugs trying to escape from the inner existential void, for the absence of family values, and of the family itself, which gives rise to many hearts overwhelmed with pain and resentment.
This is the great objective, to heal the people of Rosario from within, so that they can go on pilgrimage through this life, with joy and peace, in union with their brothers and sisters, towards the heavenly homeland. May God grant that this objective may spread to so many other places in the world where similar problems are growing.
Priest. Doctor in Law and Philosophy, Argentina.
