SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE December 4 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Virgin of Candelaria is set to visit Santa Cruz de Tenerife in October 2025.
This information was formally communicated by the Bishopric of Tenerife to the city’s mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez, during a meeting at the city hall last week, and it was later confirmed in a press briefing where it was stated that ‘la Morenita’ will be present from October 11 to 24.
The diocesan administrator of the Nivariense Diocese, Antonio Pérez, along with the vicar of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and parish priest of La Concepción church, Juan Manuel Yanes, met with the mayor last Thursday, informing him that next October, and seven years after the previous pilgrimage, the image will return to Santa Cruz.
During the discussion with the mayor, the necessity for coordination among various departments within the City Council was highlighted to ensure the successful management of this event, alongside other involved administrations, including the Bishopric of Tenerife and the Candelaria City Council, among others.
The mayor remarked in a statement that this event holds “immense significance” for the Christian community and that the City Council, as a collaborating body, will strive for its seamless execution in every aspect necessary to ensure the safety of individuals and the efficacy of relevant public services.
It was Bishop Felipe Fernández who instituted the pilgrimage of the Canary Islands’ patron saint every seven years, alternating between Santa Cruz, the island’s capital, and La Laguna, the Diocese’s capital, in 2001.
Accordingly, she visited Santa Cruz in 2002 and La Laguna in 2009. However, the anticipated visit to Santa Cruz in 2016 was deferred to 2018, when, coinciding with the celebration of the bicentennial of the Nivariense Diocese (set to occur in 2019), ‘la Morenita’ made a pilgrimage to both cities.
Consequently, the seven-year cycle was reestablished, meaning the image will return to Santa Cruz in 2025 and La Laguna in 2032.
The Bishopric of Tenerife has indicated that the visit to the Tenerife capital will commence on Saturday, October 11.
“Throughout these two weeks, the image will reside in the parish of La Concepción. The last visit to Santa Cruz and La Laguna was an extraordinary occasion in 2018, for the Bicentennial of the Diocese. However, we are now reverting to the standard seven-year interval mandated by Bishop Felipe Fernández,” Antonio Pérez explained.
Regarding the route, it is expected to be similar to previous pilgrimages, Yanes elaborated.
“The image will pause in the Barranco Hondo area, at the lower section of the road, which serves as the farewell point to Candelaria. Afterwards, it will enter the El Rosario municipality. Subsequently, it will navigate through the lower part of El Tablero, passing through El Pilarito, where the mayor of Santa Cruz will extend a greeting. Then, following that, we will pass through the Taco intersection, leading us into La Laguna municipality. We still need to finalise the exact locations,” he stated.
