Our Lady of Candelaria and Guadalupe of San Antonio

Marian devotion of Saint Anthony (Texas)

La Cathedral of San Fernando of San Antonio is one of the oldest Catholic temples in the United States, with origin in the first half of the 18th century. It was founded by settlers from the Canary Islandswho brought with them devotion to Our Lady of Candelaria, patron of the Canary Islands. Since then, the Virgin of the Candelaria was held as a special protector of the nascent Catholic community of San Antonio.

Main data

Origin and history

La Cathedral of San Fernando of San Antonio is one of the oldest Catholic temples in the United States, with origin in the first half of the 18th century. It was founded by settlers from the Canary Islandswho brought with them devotion to Our Lady of Candelaria, patron of the Canary Islands. Since then, the Virgin of the Candelaria was held as a special protector of the nascent Catholic community of San Antonio.

The official dedication of the temple is to San Fernando, king of Castilla y Leónbut Marian presence and devotion have been constant, especially under the Our Lady of Candelaria (linked to the Canarian founders) and Our Lady of Guadalupe, deeply rooted between the Hispanic and Mexican-American population of the city. The cathedral belongs to the archdiocese of San Antonio and follows the Latin Catholic rite.

For the composite title "Our Lady of Candelaria and Guadalupe of San Antonio"The official form is "Cathedral of San Fernando (San Fernando Cathedral)." The joint devotional use of Candelaria and Guadalupe responds to the mixed history of the community (Canary roots and strong Spanish Guadalupana presence), but no consta a canonical decree that formally inherits this advocation composed as a liturgical title proper to the temple.

With regard to traditions and legends, it is known from historical studies that the Canarian settlers attributed special protection to the Virgin of the Candelaria in the journey and in the foundation of the city; however, no constan in official sources stories of special apparitions or miracles in San Antonio linked to this image. The profound expansion of the Guadalupana devotion in the cathedral is mainly due to Mexican migration and the Hispanic Catholic identity in Texas, strongly marked by the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The image and the sanctuary

En la Cathedral of San Fernando various Marian images are venerated. The information available on the concrete image of Our Lady of the Candelaria in this temple is very little in verifiable public sources: no consta clearly the type of size (wood, plaster or other material), author or date of realization. By historical analogy with other canarian devotions, it is likely that it is a procedural or altar image, with the Child Jesus in arms and a cirium or candle in hand, according to the traditional iconography of the Candelaria; however, this is a inferencia and cannot be stated as San Fernando's specific data for lack of direct documentation.

However, the presence of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, very visible in the pastoral life of the cathedral and in the celebrations of December 12. This is a traditional representation of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the Mexican style (a starry blue mantle, pink robe, hands together in prayer, standing on the black moon held by the angel), exposed in a prominent place of the temple for the veneration of the faithful.

La Cathedral of San Fernando (San Fernando Cathedral) is the official name of the sanctuary where these Marian asvocations are venerated. It is the mother church of the archdiocese of San Antonio and one of the oldest religious buildings in the United States in continuous use. The temple has been restored on several occasions, combines Spanish colonial elements with subsequent additions, and is located in the historical center of San Antonio, serving as an important religious and cultural reference of the city.

In the documentation consulted no consta that the Cathedral of San Fernando has the title of minor basilica, which is officially established as National sanctuary; its range is that of archdiocesan cathedral.

Sponsorship and coronation

In the case of San Antonio, patron titular of the temple is San Fernando, king of Castilla y León. However, from the origin of the community a strong link of spiritual patronage of Our Lady of Candelaria on the Canarian settlers and their descendants, and a very significant patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the Hispanic community and, in general, on many Catholic faithful of the archdiocese, in continuity with the Guadalupan patronage of Mexico and America.

A decree formally declaring "Our Lady of the Candelaria and Guadalupe of San Antonio" as the main patron of the city or of the archdiocese has not been found in the diocesan sources or in the documentation consulted; rather, it is a devotional confluence of both claims in the life of the cathedral. Therefore, as regards this composite advocation, no consta a canonically proclaimed patronage for the whole diocese.

On the canonical coronationin the sources consulted does not contain a documented canonical coronation of the image under the title "Our Lady of the Candelaria and Guadalupe de San Antonio." If there is any local coronation (devotional or ritual coronation without a decree of the Holy See), it does not appear in the official accessible documentation, so it cannot be said rigorously.

Party and devotion

La liturgical feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the Purification of the Virgin Mary, vinculada a Our Lady of Candelaria, se celebra el 2 February in the Latin Church, and the cathedral takes part in this common calendar. Around this date there are often sails (candelas) blessings and, in many communities of Canary or Hispanic origin, also children's and families' blessings; however, for the Cathedral of San Fernando in particular no constain the sources consulted, a detailed description of own rites or fixed processions linked exclusively to the Candelaria.

As regards Our Lady of Guadalupe, the party of 12 December has a very important pastoral weight in San Antonio and in the cathedral, with solemn Eucharistic celebrations, serenades and acts of popular Hispanic piety. The influx of faithful around that date is particularly remarkable, given the Guadalupana dimension of the Mexican-American community in Texas. This intense Guadalupana devotion is associated with the historical memory of the Candelaria brought by the Canaries, which remains the foundation of the Catholic identity of the city.

No official figures are available. Annual flow to the cathedral specifically for the feast of the Candelaria, nor of formal descriptions of mass pilgrimages; however, the cathedral is one of the most visited religious points of San Antonio throughout the year, both by faithful and by tourists, and is integrated into the historical tours of the city.

Link to the Rosary

Not found in the sources consulted specific and documented partnership between an official fellowship of the Rosary and the advocation "Our Lady of the Candelaria and Guadalupe of San Antonio," nor a particular title that formally links this advocation to the prayer of the Rosary.

However, both devotion to the Candelaria as the devotion to the Virgin of Guadalupe are framed in the common Marian spirituality of the Church, in which the Rosary It occupies a privileged place. In the ordinary pastoral care of the cathedral, as in most Catholic parishes of Hispanic tradition, the prayer of the Rosary is linked to the Marian celebrations, especially around the holidays of the Virgin of Guadalupe and other Marian memories; although the Candelaria is not explicitly named in all of them, the prayer of the Rosary offers a way to contemplate the mysteries of Christ with Mary, recalling the presence of the Virgin who accompanied the community from its origins and continues to manifest itself in the love face.