A Joyous Reunion: Christ of La Laguna and His Devoted Followers

Yesterday, La Laguna held the initial religious events customarily celebrated during the festivities honouring the Most Holy Christ of La Laguna, who, as is tradition every September, reunited with his devotees. In the morning, the ceremony of the descent and veneration of the sacred image took place, followed by the afternoon procession transferring Christ from his royal sanctuary to the cathedral.

The morning celebration commenced with a solemn Eucharist presided over by the Bishop of the Diocese of Nivariense, Bernardo Álvarez. He was accompanied by the rector of the sanctuary, Víctor Álvarez; the mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez; the senior slave of the Slavery of Christ, Francisco Túbal; and representatives of the municipal corporation, together with civil and military officials, a large contingent of slaves of Christ, and members of various brotherhoods and fraternities. The liturgical and musical accompaniment for the holy mass was provided by the polyphonic choir of the Círculo de Amistad XII de Enero, under the direction of Salvador Rojas.

During his homily, the bishop emphasised several points he had integrated this year in his letter titled “We give thanks to God the Father who has transferred us to the Kingdom of his Son.” “The Lord has brought us into his Kingdom, which embodies love, justice, peace, holiness, and grace,” he articulated.

Moreover, as communicated by the Bishopric through its Nivariense Digital website, Monsignor Álvarez highlighted that the sinfulness of the world “is what leads us to stray from the Kingdom of God.” He reflected, “Sin is the source of countless conflicts, divisions, and wars. The essence of evil seeks to destroy us; however, God sent his Son into the world to redeem us. When we open our hearts to his word, we encounter the salvation we so desperately need. Thus, before this mournful depiction of Christ of La Laguna, we reflect upon the immense suffering Christ endured for our sake,” he added.

In addition, he reminded the congregation that fulfilling the will of God is the route to true happiness: “Doing the will of the Father is not an inconvenience. Yet, we must seek it from him, as we do when reciting the Lord’s Prayer. Only then can we triumph over the spirit of evil.” The bishop also encouraged the faithful to express their gratitude to God: “He has liberated us from the dominion of darkness and has brought us into the Kingdom of his Son, whose love and sacrifice grant us redemption and forgiveness of sins.”

Following the homily, the eight new slaves of the Slavery of Christ received blessings and their medals were presented. The bishop then offered the final blessing, leading to the eagerly awaited moment of the descent and veneration of the holy image.

Procession

In the afternoon, at 18:30, the procession transferring Christ took place, accompanied by scores of faithful, from his royal sanctuary to the cathedral of La Laguna, where he will remain until the 14th, the main day of the festivities. On that day, the holy image will be returned in procession to its original temple following the celebration of the civic-military procession, complete with the royal banner, which will commence from the town hall.

That same day, at 19:00, a field mass is scheduled to occur in the atrium of the royal sanctuary, after which the revered image will process through the main streets of the town, visiting the convents of the Clarisse and Catherine nuns as customary, before returning to the Plaza del Cristo for the traditional fireworks display provided by the Risco.