Our Lady of the Altagracia of New York, Dominican advocation very venerated by the great Dominican community of the city

Marian devotion of New York (New York)

La devoción a Our Lady of Highness among the Dominicans of New York is a direct extension of the veneration of the Virgin of the Highness, spiritual protector of the Dominican people and patron of the Dominican Republic. With the massive emigration of Dominicans to New York City, especially to neighborhoods such as Washington Heights, the image and feast of January 21 were assumed as a sign of religious and cultural identity in the diaspora.

Main data

Origin and history

La devoción a Our Lady of Highness among the Dominicans of New York is a direct extension of the veneration of the Virgin of the Highness, spiritual protector of the Dominican people and patron of the Dominican Republic. With the massive emigration of Dominicans to New York City, especially to neighborhoods such as Washington Heights, the image and feast of January 21 were assumed as a sign of religious and cultural identity in the diaspora.

Documented history. The sources point out that the Virgin of the Altagracia is venerated as Dominican national patron, with a feast of 21 January, a non-working day in the Dominican Republic, in which crowds pilgrim to the Basilica of Higüey. This same date is also held in New York, where various parishes with a strong Dominican presence solemnize the festivity with Eucharist, processions and cultural acts; the encyclopedia explicitly mentions that in New York the patron feast of the Altagracia coincides with the beginning of the Month of the Dominican Heritage. A specific decree has not been located in official or journalistic sources that houses a national sanctuary of the Altagracia in New York or that recognizes a canonically differentiated advocation under the title "Our Lady of the Altagracia of New York"; rather, it is the same Dominican advocation, lived intensely by the migrant community.

Tradition / legend. The tradition about the origins of the Altagracia (the canvas brought to the Spanish and the miracles that spread its veneration) belongs to the history of Higüey's image and does not offer its own documented variants for New York. In the popular piety of Washington Heights, it is often spoken of the Virgin of the Altagracia as "protective mother" who accompanies the Dominican in exile, but this affective designation does not respond to a new canon title, but to the extension of patronage on the Dominican people in the land of migration.

The image and the sanctuary

The sources consulted describe the original image of the Altagracia in Higüey as a canvas of Renaissance style, of small format, that represents the The birth of Jesus (Nativity scene), with the Virgin in an attitude of adoration to the Child, and iconographic elements like the star and St. Joseph at the bottom. This is the image that serves as a model for the replicas that are venerated in the Dominican communities outside, including New York. The available documentation does not contain a detailed, official and specific description of a unique and unique image entitled "Our Lady of the Highness of New York"; the parishes of the city often venerate copies or images inspired by Higüey's canvasin paint, prints or printed images. The iconography in New York is therefore understood as a reproduction of the original Dominican advocation.

As regards Shrine or temple in New Yorkthe general sources on the Highness only indicate that devotion is very widespread in the city, but do not identify an official Marian sanctuary of national, diocesan or minor basilica under the title of Our Lady of the Highness there. Various parishes in Manhattan and other districts with a strong Dominican presence (particularly in the Washington Heights area) celebrate the party and maintain devotion, but no constathe existence of a minor basilica, national sanctuary or diocesan sanctuary officially erected in honor of Our Lady of the Highness in New York. In the absence of verifiable data, it should be strictly stated that the cult focuses on parishes of the Dominican majoritywhere the image occupies a prominent place in the presbytery or on side altars, without a specific legal title of sanctuary recognized by the Holy See or by the diocese.

Sponsorship and coronation

La Virgin of the Highlands is recognized as patron of the Dominican Republic and "protective and spiritual mother of the Dominican people." Pope Pius XI officially proclaimed it Protector of the Dominican Republicstrengthening an already rooted patronage in the national consciousness. This patronage extends affectively to the Dominican diaspora, so that the New York-based community actually recognizes it as protective patron of the Dominican people abroadalthough no specific canonical proclamation has been found concerning the city of New York.

On the canonical coronationthe sources agree that the image of Higüey was solemnly crowned the 15 August 1922, during the pontificate of Pío XI. Later, San Juan Pablo II He crowned her again in 1992, on his second visit to the Dominican Republic. These coronations refer to the original image of the Higüey Basilica. For the advocation as it was venerated in New York, does not contain a documented canonical coronation of a distinct image made by local ecclesiastical authority or by pontifical delegation.

Party and devotion

La main party of Our Lady of the Highness is the 21 January. In the Dominican Republic this day is a national holiday and brings together thousands of pilgrims in the Basilica of Higüey. The same date is observed by the Dominican community in New York, where the encyclopedia notes that the patron party of the Altagracia also marks the beginning of the Month of the Dominican Heritagewith a strong religious and cultural component.

La devotion in New York is expressed in solemn Eucharistic celebrations, preparatory novenas, processions with the image, prayers of the Rosary in family and community, and cultural acts that unite Dominican faith and tradition. While sources do not provide specific inflow figures for New York, they do emphasize the massive nature of devotion in the diaspora, particularly in cities with a high concentration of Dominicans such as New York. Popular traditions include the dress up of temples with Dominican colors, flower offerings, Marian songs of the island and the consecration of families and migrants to the protection of the Virgin of the Altagracia as "mother and protector" on foreign land.

Link to the Rosary

The historical and official sources on the Virgin of the Highlands no mencionan un specific or exclusive link with the Rosary prayer other than that which is common in most Marian shrines. It is not, therefore, clear that the advocation of Our Lady of the Highness of New York has a particular rosarian practice encoded (promises, own rosarian copradies, unique indulgences, etc.) that distinguishes her from other Marian devotions.

However, in the spiritual life of the Dominican community, in both the Dominican Republic and New York, the Rosary It takes a very relevant place as a simple and deep prayer to meditate on the mysteries of Christ's life with Mary. Around the party of January 21, they are often organized Community novenas and rosaries in the Dominican parishes, where the birth of the Lord and the other mysteries are seen in the light of the maternal presence of the Altagracia, learning to look, like the Virgin of the canvas, to the Child Jesus with faith, gratitude and hope. In this way, although there is no "own" rosarian tradition of New York documented, the Rosary in fact becomes the Marian prayer that supports, accompanies and deepens the devotion to