From September 14 to October 5, 2024, celebrations during the jubilee year of St. Francis receiving the stigmata were celebrated in the rectory of the historic Templo de San Francisco in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
The celebrations were organized by the Guardian and Rector of the Templo, Friar J. Enoc ZELEDÓN HERRERA, by the Vicar Guardian, Friar Walter LOÁISIGA GONZÁLEZ and by Friar Ronaldo Francisco CRUZ GONZÁLEZ. They carry out pastoral ministry at the rectory in collaboration with the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception, the Confraternity of Santa Veracruz, the Militia of the Immaculata and the Secular Franciscan Order.
On September 14-16, devotional preparation for the liturgical feast of the Stigmata took place in the context of the Feast of the Holy Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows. On September 17, two solemn Masses were celebrated. One was an evening Mass presided over by the Most Reverend Tulio Omar PÉREZ RIVERA, Auxiliary Bishop of Santiago de Guatemala, with the fervent participation of the faithful.
From September 24 to October 2, a preparatory novena in honor of St. Francis was celebrated before the Mass. On Thursday, October 3, after the evening Mass and the liturgy of the Transitus, there was a short procession to the nearby Rectory of Santa Clara. There, in an atmosphere of recollection and joy, St. Clare and the Poor Ladies were remembered contemplating the lifeless and stigmatized body of St. Francis.
On Friday, October 4, several Masses were celebrated throughout the day. The Most Reverend Gonzalo DE VILLA Y VÁZQUEZ, Archbishop of Santiago de Guatemala, presided over the Solemn Mass at midday, with priests from parishes and rectories in the historic city center concelebrating. Throughout the day there was a large influx of faithful, many of whom brought their pets for blessing. In the afternoon, the festive and traditional procession of the Seraphic Father St. Francis took place through the streets and avenues surrounding the historic church.
The decorations and setting during this Franciscan celebration were very elaborate and handmade; they were characteristic of the typical way faith is manifested in Guatemala. Of note was an allegorical altar of the impression of the stigmata with ancient and venerated images showing Jesus Christ Crucified, the Most Precious Blood and St. Francis of Assisi, and a processional platform that recalled St. Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures.
On Saturday afternoon, Oct. 5, the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Guatemala City performed Antonio VIVALDI’s “Four Seasons” in a charity concert. The orchestra has joined forces with other official cultural entities, the Catholic Church and the faithful of the Rectory, in raising money to restore the facade of the historic Templo de San Francisco.
Friar Ronaldo Francisco CRUZ GONZÁLEZ
