The fervor returned to visit the Siervita yesterday, after the suspension last year due to COVID-19. Thus, neither the bad weather nor the pandemic yesterday discouraged those who wanted to worship the incorrupt body of Sor María de Jesús de León Delgado, better known as the Siervita, forming the now traditional queue in front of the church of the convent of Santa Catalina de Siena, in the center of La Laguna, and marked this year by umbrellas and anti-COVID measures.
It is not the first time for many, like Ana Morera and Nieves Pérez, who have been visiting the Siervita for about 20 years. “We discovered that he was here and I started coming, because it is said that he works miracles. I come by faith, we always ask him”, explained Ana, who highlighted the queue and that “everyone keeps their distance”, despite the bad weather, “but other times we have been colder and it rained more”, she recalled.
Nieves came from La Palma and explained that she usually does it “expressly” to visit the Siervita, “although it has not been like that on this occasion, before my mother and several aunts and neighbors came, I think that once we came about 20 persons. And for many, many years. Whenever I can I try to come, which has been almost every year. And I always ask him and thank him.” This year, “coming from La Palma and El Paso, although nothing has happened to me, but to relatives and friends in common, who have lost everything, I will ask for help and give thanks because I have not lost anything,” he said.
Carmen and Pedro are a couple, and it was the first time they came to be part of this tradition. “We had always wanted to come, but because of work and because we are from Los Silos, it was not possible. And today it coincided that we had to come to La Laguna to do an errand and so we said we were going to see the Siervita”, Pedro explained. “We come to ask, because lately I have had many health setbacks,” added his wife.
Although it is not the most common, you could also see some young people in the queue, like Cristian and Cristina, 19 and 20 years old, respectively. “This is the first time I have come, I had heard of the nun from La Laguna, but at no time had I come to visit her, because I am from the North, but since I started university this year, I took this opportunity to visit her and ask her to bring us a lot of health and grant us our goals”, said Cristian, who did not expect so many people to see the little servant: “There are many people, even raining, people are devout. You have to keep a little devotion and believe in something.”
It was also the first time for Cristina: “I come from La Palma, from Los Llanos de Aridane, and every year I hear that the nun is miraculous. I want to ask you above all for health, to improve the economy on my Island, and for studies.” La Siervita died on February 15, 1731 and three years after her death, her body was exhumed and it was discovered that it was incorrupt, so it was deposited in an artistic polychrome sarcophagus in the lower choir of the convent and is visited by hundreds of faithful every February 15 for 291 years.
The church remained open yesterday from 06:00 to 20:00 for visits, which can also be made this coming Sunday, from 08:00 to 20:00. In addition, the day ended yesterday with the traditional floral offering of the municipalities of La Laguna and El Sauzal.
The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced some changes this year to comply with all the measures in accordance with the established health protocols, such as the requirement to keep interpersonal distance, the use of a mask and hydroalcohol, and not to bring flowers. In addition, as reported by the Bishopric, this year it was not possible to write on the small papers that on other occasions have served to express the intentions of supplications or thanks to the Little Servant, for which it was indicated that a QR code would be provided so that whoever wanted could fill out a form, via mobile, in which to collect said intentions.
