Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Concepcion (Agenzia Fides) – Cardinal Julio Terrazas, Archbishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, presided a Thanksgiving Mass for the people of Concepcion on December 8th, on the 300th anniversary of its foundation. The celebration was widely attended by the town, which came to listen to the words of its Pastor. Concepcion's Cathedral was completely packed and everyone was there: all the public authorities to the last citizen. Before the celebration, the youth of Concepcion led a theatrical representation of the founding of the town, exactly 300 years ago. The celebrations lasted for a week.
During his homily, Cardinal Terrazas said that at birth you receive not only a name, but also a mission, a job, and a role to play, in which one's identity is found: "the pride of each of you is the unshakable faith you have in the Lord, your love and affection for His Mother, the Virgin, who is also our Mother. " The Cardinal then recalled the story of the people, the work of diocesan priests and then the arrival of the Franciscan family. The whole story is written with "lights and shadows, written in blood on one side, and with doubts and errors on the other, but there are always joys and blessings, and one of those blessings is the presence of Christ on the Cross and His Resurrection, which is present in each of our lives. All the people of Concepcion are marked by the example of Franciscan missionaries. Little by little, throughout the history of Concepcion, the missionaries have grown up with the help of the community." The Mass was also attended by Archbishop Antonio Reimann, OFM, Vicar Apostolic of Ñuflo in Chavez, who thanked the people of Concepcion for their support for the missionaries and also for their great contribution to the work of evangelization, carried out together with the missionaries during these 300 years of community life. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 14/12/2009)
