The consecration of the Parish-Shrine of Mary Undoer of Knots took place in Cancún at midday last May 31, the feast of the Visitation of the Most Holy Virgin. Monsignor Pedro Pablo Elizondo, LC, the local Bishop, presided over the concelebrated Eucharist in which other priests also concelebrated, the majority Legionaries of Christ, the Congregation to which the Shrine has been entrusted.
A great number of faithful and pilgrims also participated, either in person or through social media livestreams, as well as the Governor of the State of Quintana Roo, Mrs. Mara Lezama, other political leaders, and friends and benefactors of the Shrine. In keeping with Canonical Law (cc. 1230-1236), specific requirements were necessary for the canonical erection that raised the Parish to the category of a Diocesan Shrine, such as being the object of pilgrimages, having a particular piety or veneration, being attended by pilgrims, offering pastoral care to the faithful through preaching, liturgical life and the celebration of the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Penance, among others.
Since its beginning eight years ago, the Shrine has become a destination of national and international pilgrimages. At present, it welcomes an average of 15,000 people weekly. The pilgrims visit and pray in one of the six Chapels of the Shrine, following trails where it is possible to hang white ribbons with petitions to the Virgin Mary (or colored ones if the grace or favor has already been granted).
In his homily for the consecration, Monsignor Elizondo highlighted the work of the Legionaries of Christ and the intercession of our Blessed Mother under the title with which She is invoked in that Shrine. It is a “place of encounter with God through Mary, of many blessings and miracles. [The Virgin] has not appeared but certainly manifests herself. [It is a place of] petitions, consolation, forgiveness, and reconciliation.”
The altar, which contains relics of the first Roman Martyrs, the first Jesuits, and Blessed Carlo Acutis, was consecrated during the celebration.
With the reading of the Decrees, the Shrine was entrusted to the care of the Legionaries of Christ. Father Luis Pablo Garza, LC was appointed Parish Priest and Rector, and Father Juan Pablo Ledesma , LC, its Vicar. Father Federico Juárez , LC, provides pastoral assistance in the Shrine, ensuring the spiritual well-being of all who come to seek the help of our Blessed Mother.
At the end of the Eucharistic Celebration, Mara Lezama Espinosa, the Governor of the State of Quintana Roo, thanked everyone involved for the work carried out for the good of the citizens and publicly witnessed her own faith. Two days later, more celebrations were held: the presentation of the Shrine’s new book in the Hotel Nizuc, in the presence of the Secretary of Tourism of Quintana Roo, as well as friends and benefactors and a family race in which 500 runners took part.
For more information and to stay connected with the Shrine, please visit the official website: https://desatadoradenudos.org/.
Originally published by Zenit.org
