By Juliana Moreno | Special Contributor

The cold, rainy weather at the beginning of the weekend gave way to a beautiful daybreak Oct. 5, when the warm wind and deep blue sky with gentle clouds brought out the sharp contrast of the color purple used to mark the solemn celebration of Our Lord of Miracles (Señor de los Milagros).

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Hundreds of faithful began filling St. Joseph Church, Toms River, to give praise to the miraculous image of Jesus, with people coming from Bayville, Atlantic City and Union City.  Also present was the Peruvian General Consul, José Benzanquen, visiting from Paterson.

The committee for Our Lord of Miracles of Toms River, which organized the event, was founded in 2007 by six families.  Their united hope was to strengthen their own faith experience and broaden the devotion to Christ of Pachacamilla, the neighborhood of Lima, Peru, where the venerated image of Christ was painted by a slave, Pedro Dalcón, on the adobe wall behind the altar in the sanctuary of the Nazarenes around 1651.  Many people throughout the world have attributed miracles to the connection to Christ through the image honoring Jesus with processions and special devotions.

The 25 Nazarenes, as they are called, coordinated the event and participated with their spouses and children.  The diversity of the devotions to the image were also evident in the representation of countries the committee members hailed from, including Peru, the United States, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico.  The Nazarenes all donned the purple habit that is the typical dress for Nazarenes at the sanctuary in Peru.

The procession, which lasted about an hour, was divided into different segments, called “carguillos,” when teams of carriers changed who carried the image. It is a great honor to be able to be a member of a carguillo members have to be sworn into the ministry. The first carguillo for the procession at St. Joseph included Benzanquen and the priests in attendance.   

For the St. Joseph community, the procession started in 2007. But over the past seven years, participation has soared and the procession now moves out of the church to the grounds of the Toms River church.  As the image passed, many faithful drop to their knees in prayer, while others try to touch the sacred image. 

Incense also was used to honor the Lord of Miracles during the procession, which paused three times so parents could bring their young children before the miraculous image and pray for a special blessing.

Mass was celebrated by Father Carlos Aguirre, parochial vicar of St. Joseph Parish and chaplain to the event committee.  Concelebrating the Mass were St. Joseph pastor, Father Scott Shaffer, and parochial vicars, Father Garry Koch and Father Pierre Alabre. Also present were Father Rene Pulgarín, pastor of Christ the Redeemer Parish, Mount Holly, and Father Jorge Bedoya, parochial vicar of St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton. 

Following the Mass, the faithful processed outside with various people carrying the image of Our Lord of Miracles. The community was then invited to the Donovan Catholic cafeteria to enjoy refreshments and fellowship. 

Juliana Moreno is a member of St. Joseph Parish, Toms River.