- EDITIONS: Spanish News Today Murcia Today Alicante Today
Date Published: 09/01/2024
Irish community of Mojacar welcomes new statue of St Patrick
More than half the population of this Almeria town are expats
Irish and British expatriates living in Mojácar came together this week to welcome the addition of a new statue of Saint Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, to the Parish of Santa Marí. The ceremony was officiated by Monsignor Juan Antonio Cruz Serrano, permanent observer of the Holy See in the Organization of American States.
During the celebratory mass, parish priest Don Juan Antonio addressed his Spanish and foreign congregation in perfect English, and expressed his joy at the acquisition of both a figure of Saint Patrick and one of Saint Andrew, patron saint of Scotland.
The new statues, he said, pave the way to full integration of all the Catholic faithful, regardless of country of origin, into parish life.
At the end of the celebration, which concluded with singing the hymn of Saint Patrick, all of the parishioners were invited to kiss or touch the new blessed symbol before it was placed on its corbel for public devotion.
The images of the patron saints of Scotland and Ireland were placed alongside the patron saint of Spain, thus manifesting the unity of the three countries in the Church "one, holy, catholic and apostolic, in which there are no longer foreigners nor strangers but children of the same God and Father," Don Juan Antonio added.
According to data published by the National Institute of Statistics on January 1, 2022, the number of inhabitants in Mojácar stood at 7,527. Of these, 53.69%, some 4,041 people, have emigrated to the Andalucia town from abroad and of this number, 53.1% are British.
Saint Patrick was a Catholic missionary, preacher and religious figure from Britain who is believed to have introduced Catholicism to Ireland. The Catholic saint’s feast day is celebrated on March 17 each year with huge parades in Spain and around the world.
Image: Diocesis de Almeria
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