MADISON Some 80 Catholics from around the Diocese were reminded about Advent as a time of waiting for Jesus, the Light of the World, to come at Christmas. They huddled outside St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization here on Dec. 8 at night to pray and sing to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Spanish and English, while —appropriately — holding lit candles. They gathered for the Diocese’s second-annual observance of “Noche de Las Velitas” or “Night of the Little Candles” — a widely-celebrated event in Colombia.
On the grounds of St. Paul’s, participating faithful, who included both Spanish- and non-Spanish speakers, joined in a candlelight procession guided by rows of lit candles in mason jars on both sides of walkways that lead to the mansion of the evangelization center. They sang traditional songs in Spanish to the Blessed Mother and others about the Three Kings and the Shepherds, along with the “Ave Maria,” at the 5 p.m. event in honor of the feasts of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8 and of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12.
There in the cold, they also prayed the Luminous Mysteries of the rosary and listened to reflections in Spanish and English about each one, which emphasized our call to be a “kind and welcoming community.” Some people also carried an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe during the devotion. After, participants enjoyed fellowship, along with hot chocolate, in front of a fire on the patio of St. Paul’s or inside the mansion.
“This was an opportunity to bring together people from different cultures, backgrounds and ages, including children and young adults, to pray and sing to Mary. The Blessed Mother has a way of unifying us,” said Ivannia Vega-McTighe, associate academic dean for evangelization and assistant director of diocesan Hispanic Ministry who is a native of Costa Rica. It was a native of Colombia, Father Darwin Lastra, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Pompton Plains and Hispanic Ministry chaplain, who suggested a diocesan observance of The Night of the Little Candles, she said. “For the participants, who are from Colombia, this brings back memories of their childhood and lets them share their heritage with their children,” Vega-McTighe said.
The faithful came from a diverse mix of parishes, including ones with large Hispanic populations, including St. Margaret of Scotland in Morristown and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, the Mother Church of the Diocese, where Vega-McTighe also serves as coordinator of catechesis. Also, the Diocese is home to a large Colombian population. Together at the Dec. 8 event, they all prayed the rosary and listened to reflections on each Luminous Mystery both in Spanish and in English, including the following:
• The First Mystery, Baptism in the Jordon (Mk 1:9-11). “When John baptized Jesus, the heavens opened, the Spirit descended and a heavenly voice proclaimed: ‘You are my beloved Son.’ Yet many still refused to recognize Jesus as the anointed one of God. Today, many still fail to recognize the signs of our Christ’s presence in our sisters and brothers. We pray for the grace to open ourselves to welcome Christ,” and
• The Third Mystery, Proclamation of the Kingdom of God (Mt 5-7). “In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaimed a Kingdom that turns the world’s traditional wisdom on end. In the Kingdom of God, it is the poor, the meek, the peacemakers and the oppressed, who are blessed, while the rich and powerful turn away sad. We pray for the grace to create this Peaceable Kingdom in our age, by welcoming the poor, oppressed who turn to us seeking assistance.”
In Colombia, The Night of the Little Candles is celebrated on Dec. 7 on the eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a public holiday there, and is considered the unofficial start of the Christmas season. People put out candles and paper lanterns on windowsills, balconies, porches, sidewalks and streets and in parks and raise a white flag with images of the Virgin Mary, according to various accounts of the event.
The Night of the Little Candles dates back to Dec. 7, 1854, when Pope Pius IX published his apostolic constitution “Ineffabilis Deus,” which defined the dogma the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. Back then, people in Colombia lit candles and paper lanterns in celebration of the announcement — an annual tradition that Colombians have observed ever since, state various histories.
One participant at St. Paul’s on Dec. 8 was Maria Moncaleano, coordinator of faith and leadership formation for the diocesan Office of Hispanic Ministry and a parishioner of St. Anthony of Padua in Passaic. She came to the U.S. from Colombia in 1986.
“It’s a beautiful tradition that reminds me of my childhood,” Moncaleano said. Colombians, she said, have brought Noche de Las Velitas to the countries, where they have migrated. “The light of the candles represents Jesus, the Light of the World. It’s a very special novena,” she said.