Anecdotes about the Virgin Mary

Who brings so much joy? The Immaculate Conception of El Viejo

The Old Man, Chinandega (Nicaragua) (1562)

In 1562, a ship sailing to the Indies was forced to stop due to a storm at the port of La Posesión, present-day El Realejo, on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. On board was an elderly man—according to some sources, Lorenzo de Cepeda, a brother of Saint Teresa of Ávila—who was carrying with him an image of the Immaculate Conception. Because of this forced stop, the image ended up in the nearby town of El Viejo, where it remained venerated ever since.

Popular tradition tells the story with tenderness: the old man wanted to take the image back on the ship to continue the journey, but the Virgin "wouldn't let herself be put on board," or the ship couldn't set sail while she was on board. The people understood that the Mother "wanted to stay" among them.

Here the editor must be honest. That a brother of Saint Teresa passed through the area in the 16th century, carrying an image of the Immaculate Conception, and that this image remained in El Viejo is supported by parish documents and a note in La Gaceta de Nicaragua from 1875. But the detail of the ship that could not depart or the image "that refused to be taken on board" is not recorded in any document with a date and witnesses: it is devotional oral tradition, a beautiful expression of the people's love, not a proven miracle. Nor is there any record confirming that the image was a personal gift from Saint Teresa; pious sources suggest it cautiously ("we could affirm").

What is unwavering and deeply cherished is the celebration. Every December 7th, the eve of the Immaculate Conception, all of Nicaragua celebrates La Gritería: families erect altars to the Virgin in their homes, and as they walk past them, someone shouts, "Who causes so much joy?" and the people respond with one voice: "The Immaculate Conception of Mary!" Sweets and gifts are distributed, along with a collection of coins, and the night is filled with singing. In El Viejo, the novena is also observed with the rosary each morning, the "Washing of the Silver" on the 6th, and the grand procession on December 8th.

In 2001, the Nicaraguan Episcopal Conference declared this image, the oldest of the Immaculate Conception in the country, to be the national patron saint. And the recitation of the Holy Rosary sets the rhythm of the sanctuary, accompanying the Mother who one day chose to remain.