By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic

MIAMI | The celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Charity, patroness of Cuba, will take place this year on the grounds of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Charity, also known as La Ermita de la Caridad, on Wednesday, Sept. 8, with Mass beginning at 8 p.m.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the arrival in Miami of the statue of Our Lady of Charity which is venerated at La Ermita. The statue came from Cuba hidden in a suitcase precisely on Sept. 8, 1961, so the theme chosen for this occasion is "60 Years of Our Lady of Charity with Her People in Exile."

In addition to the traditional Mass, which will be celebrated by Archbishop Thomas Wenski, a novena to Our Lady will begin Monday, Aug. 30, and conclude Tuesday, Sept. 7. Novena Masses will be celebrated at the shrine at 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 5 p.m. on Sunday. The shrine is located at 3609 South Miami Ave., Miami.

Each day of the novena will be dedicated to praying for a special intention related to the reality and particular needs of the Cuban people, and representatives of different parishes of the Archdiocese of Miami will preside at each liturgy.

The pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Charity will also process through the streets of Miami-Dade County on Saturday, Sept. 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will stop at iconic places for the community, where prayers will be said for special intentions.

All the faithful, in addition to devotees of Our Lady of Charity, are invited to receive the statue and join in the prayers at each of the scheduled stops. Neighbors who live or work along the route also are invited to greet Our Lady as she passes in front of their homes and/or businesses. The route of the tour and the stops will be announced soon.

The artistic vigil in honor of Our Lady of Charity will take place Tuesday, Sept. 7 at the shrine, beginning at 9 p.m. and ending with the traditional “mañanitas” at midnight. Well-known artists from the local community will lead the vigil.

On Wednesday, Sept. 8, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., pilgrims and devotees of the Virgin will be able to go to the shrine to venerate the image and drop off their flowers and donations. 

The Mass will take place outside, on the grounds in front of the shrine. Some parking will be available at Immaculata-La Salle High School and Mercy Hospital, both of which are located adjacent to the shrine.

The public will be able to enter the grounds beginning at 5 p.m. The rosary will begin at 6 p.m. and the procession with the image of Our Lady of Charity will begin at 7 p.m.