Anecdotes about the Virgin Mary

"Loreto among the Guarani: the face blackened by faith"

Loreto, Misiones (Argentina) (1610-1686)

Devotion to Our Lady of Loreto was one of the Marian heart of the Jesuit-Guaraní missions. The Society of Jesus held it in high esteem and brought it with them to Guayrá: one of the first reductions was named after her. The Mission of Our Lady of Loreto was founded in 1610 by Fathers José Cataldino and Simón Masseta, and after the attacks and relocations of those years, it was finally established in 1686 where its ruins are preserved today, in the Argentine province of Misiones.

In those villages, music was a privileged instrument of evangelization, with choirs and orchestras singing masses, litanies, and Marian hymns in Latin and Guarani. Guarani artists carved images of the Virgin Mary according to European models, but with features and motifs characteristic of the rainforest. The Loreto mission, with its church and processional way, was a center of pilgrimage for the Guarani missionary people, a legacy that is still celebrated every Good Friday.

Let us be honest and clear. The founding of Loreto in 1610, its relocation in 1686, the deep-rooted Jesuit devotion to Loreto, and its status as a pilgrimage center are all documented; it is also known that Our Lady of Loreto is now the patron saint of the province of Misiones. The miraculous transfer of the House of Nazareth, characteristic of the original Italian devotion, is passed down as a pious tradition. There is evidence of specific favors granted in the reductions (the Annual Letter of 1637-1639 is cited), but the details of many cases are only known to specialists who study the manuscripts.

The connection with the Rosary is close: the devotion to Our Lady of Loreto is linked to the Litany of Loreto, which is prayed at the end of the Rosary, and the Jesuits spread it in their missions. Although there is no document specifying times, it is reasonable to assume that it was prayed on Marian feast days; and today, pilgrimages to Loreto in Misiones include carrying the Rosary.