The Immaculate Conception

Feast: December 8. Although the Church has not proclaimed the Immaculate Conception officially as the Patroness of the Republic of Panama, her feast day has been declared a national holiday. Every 8th of December is a feast day in Panama to celebrate the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, which coincides with the traditional "Mothers' Day". The Panamanian people have chosen several Marian titles to express their love of the Mother of God. "Nuestra Señora de la Antigua" is a canvas of the Virgin's Assumption whose veneration dates from before 1691. This painting is venerated by the faithful in the temple of Chirivi in Tunja, a very popular shrine located near the Turine River. The portrait, nearly two meters high and 80 centimeters wide, represents the Virgin with the child in her arms. Both figures have gold plated silver imperial crowns superimposed. The feast of Our Lady of la Antigua is celebrated on the third Sunday of January. In a much visited small chapel in Panama City, the painting of "Our Lady of Mercy" is venerated. It is a painting of the Virgin, half-length, brought to Panama in the XVII century. It is said that when the pirate Henry Morgan attacked and set fire to the city in 1671, the painting remained intact although most of the city was destroyed. There are other important devotions: "La Virgen Hallada" (The Virgin Found), a stone sculpture of Our Lady of Mount Carmel which is venerated in Montijo; "Our Lady of Tarivá", a 1571 painting that convokes her faithful in the village of that name; "Our Lady of Sopetrán", another famous painting enjoying great devotion, whose worship in the village of Hita dates from 1615; the image of "Our Lady of Hool" and the "Virgin of Penonomé" are also honored in other regions of the Panamanian isthmus.

With grateful thanks to the Mary Page.