SW News: Hundreds of thousands of young believers in Argentina took part in the pilgrimage to the famous Shrine of the Virgin of Itatí in the 43rd edition of the Youth Pilgrimage of the Argentine Northeast Region. As many as 300,000 young people from various dioceses of the northeastern region took part in the pilgrimage to the basilica located in the Archdiocese of Corrientes on September 17.
The motto of this year’s pilgrimage was “Together with Mary, we meet again as a synodal Church”. The youth pilgrimage was resumed in person after two years of the pandemic outbreak. Faithful youngsters and others gathered at the Corrientes Capital and marched towards the Shrine of the Virgin of Itatí. During the nights of September 17 and early on September 18,  Holy Masses were offered by various priests and prelates of the region.
On Sunday, a special Eucharistic Celebration was presided over by the Archbishop of Corrientes The Most Rev. Andrés Stanovnik inside the shrine. The youth pilgrims who took part in the pilgrimage expressed their joy in gathering together again after the pandemic outbreak.
The Franciscans are credited with bringing the faith to the region in the early half of the 16th century. They sculpted a statue of Our Lady after witnessing an apparition of the Blessed Virgin under a rock near the river. When the statue fell into the hands of the natives who attacked the missionaries, they wanted to know more about the apparition. Later, they reported witnessing an unnatural light and sound emanating from a rock.
With the help of the natives, the Franciscans constructed a new settlement at the site of the supernatural occurrence and christened it Pueblo de Indios de la Pura y Limpia Concepcion de Nuestra Senora de Itati. The miraculous statue of Our Lady which was enshrined in the church in the settlement is credited with saving the life of Jesuit missionary Luis de Bolanos in the 17th century. He was instrumental in bringing several people to the faith. This also brought many to the Catholic faith.
It was Pope Leo XIII who allowed the statue to receive Canonical Coronation and Our Lady of Itati was declared the patroness of Corrientes. It was in 1950 that a basilica was constructed to house the miraculous image.