By: Eugenio Amézquita Velasco
Translation: Metro News Mx
-The Immaculate Conception, the jewel of the Third Order Temple, is the center of fervor in Dolores Hidalgo.
-The Marian devotion in the Cradle of Independence is a spiritual heritage passed down through generations.
-In 1906, the workers' guilds took the reins of the novena, a tradition that remains alive today.
-The anonymous image, 143 cm tall, withstood even General Calleja, who prostrated before it in 1810.
-The Third Order Temple, the second oldest in the city, has been refurbished and beautified by faith.
-Its Canonical Coronation in 1954 was a historic event that packed the venue.
-The last great Coronation celebration took place in 2004 with thousands of faithful and bishops in the streets.
-Enjoy the beautiful poem dedicated by Guanajuato Desconocido to the Immaculate Conception, of Dolores Hidalgo.
The heart of Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato, beats to the rhythm of a secular faith, with the revered image of the Immaculate Conception of Mary being the axis of a timeless tradition guarded in the Third Order Temple.
Based on the writings of Presbyter Zacarías Barrón Falcón and the compilation by Fr. Juan Galván Sánchez—the current rector of the temple—a 2005 brochure documented the history of this image, emphasizing that by honoring Mary, we tune into and commune with Catholics of all ages. The priest affirms that this celebration is an encouragement for Christian living and unites all those who love the Mother of God.
Since time immemorial, many generations from Dolores have directed their prayers and acts of thanksgiving in the Third Order Temple, trusting in the intercession of the Immaculate Conception before Jesus Christ. The local feast takes on a very peculiar mode: although elements such as fireworks, the "castle" (fireworks structure), and the drum and bugle corps are folkloric and profane, they serve as a "bridge" to grasp the greatness of Mary.
The processions with the Blessed Image through the streets are compared to the Christian's journey in this world, following Jesus, the blessed fruit of her womb. The Eucharist, celebrated for several days with the participation of the guilds, is the most sacred liturgical act that concludes the journey, with the best homage to Mary being to do the will of Her Son.
On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX solemnly decreed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, a culmination of theological investigation and the Church's official answer to a popular desire, which was even promoted by emperors, kings—like Philip II of Spain—religious orders, and bishops.
This dogma is based on Sacred Scripture—the Archangel Saint Gabriel greets her as full of grace—and the teaching of the Holy Fathers, defending that the Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin from the first instant of her Conception, by a special grace from God. Since the mid-19th century, the feast has been celebrated with joy throughout the Catholic world and especially in this temple in Dolores.
Presbyter Zacarías Barrón wrote that the Third Order Temple is the second oldest in the city, only after the Parish Church, whose cornerstone was laid in 1712. The construction of the Temple that houses the Immaculate Conception began years later, with the choir arch being closed in 1755.
It was erected by devotees to serve as the temple of the Third Order, a name that prevailed over other historical ones such as "Chapel of Jesus" (until 1793), "Holy School" (1794), "Chapel of the Calvary" (1795-1804), and "Church of Guadalupe" (1879).
The temple displays a sober Baroque style; its main altar is Corinthian, probably modified in 1875 and crowned by an oil painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Of the other altars, only the one dedicated to Our Lady of Refuge is dated 1840.
The beautiful central sculpture of the Immaculate Conception is an anonymous work of art, 143 centimeters (56 inches) tall, representing a young woman of about 15 years of age. Its antiquity is such that it was already in the temple before the Proclamation of Independence, for on October 20, 1810, Brigadier General Félix María Calleja del Rey prostrated himself before it to give thanks for having taken the unguarded town of Dolores without firing a single shot.
The devotion took root, and the novena was celebrated simply until 1854. Enthusiasm grew annually, and in 1906 the workers' guilds were organized, dividing the days of the novena among themselves, a practice that continues to this day.
In 1907, they managed to expose the Blessed Sacrament for the entire day of the novena, which had previously only been done on December 8. Starting in 1938, the guilds took charge of the deteriorated temple: the butchers paved the presbytery with mosaic and presented a gilded silver chalice; Don Onésimo Rodríguez paid for the pavement of the central nave; tanners and sandal makers provided candelabras and chandeliers; and the bakers gifted a sound system, a large ciborium, and illuminated the facade with spotlights.
The last major material modification was in 1985 with the change from a mosaic floor to a clay one, on the 175th anniversary of the start of Independence.
The most significant tribute was the Canonical Coronation in December 1954, one hundred years after the Proclamation of the Dogma. The butchers proposed gifting the gold crown and the halo, the bakers and major commerce the dress, while the other guilds covered the costs of the feast. The gold crown with synthetic precious stones, as well as the gilded silver halo, were manufactured by the silversmith Francisco López from Puebla.
The gilded silver moon was commissioned by the drivers and electricians. On December 1, 1954, the image was transferred to the atrium of the Dolores Parish Church, where 12,000 residents and neighbors packed the area. After a Pontifical Mass lasting more than five hours, the procession carried the image, wearing its crown, back to its temple.
In 2004, the golden anniversary of this historic event was celebrated. On December 7 of that year, Monsignor Lázaro Pérez Jiménez, then Bishop of Celaya, presided over the Eucharist in the Parish atrium before thousands of people, concluding with a grand procession that traveled through several city streets to take the Immaculate Conception back to her temple.
Poem to the Immaculate Conception, of Dolores Hidalgo
Oh, Madre Inmaculada, luz del cielo,
En Dolores tu Templo nos espera,
Tu imagen nos regala gran consuelo,
¡Y al verte el alma canta placentera!
Tu historia en un folleto se ha guardado,
escrito por el Padre Galván Sánchez,
Tu manto de pureza ha cobijado,
¡Y a cada verso nuestro corazón tu enganches!
Segundo templo antiguo, gran tesoro,
De piedra y barro, fe que no declina,
Más antigua que el grito que fue de oro,
¡Y tu presencia celestial fascina!
Con Pío IX, en mil ochocientos,
Tu dogma fue la gracia reconocida,
Calzada de fervor y sentimientos,
¡Y cada credo es melodía unida!
La Tercera Orden viste tu morada,
Con gremios que en procesión te llevan,
La fe de un pueblo nunca será errada,
¡Y hasta los árbitros a tu fiesta elevan!
La vela, el cohete, danza y el castillo,
Son puente, mas no el fin de la jornada,
Lo sacro está en el culto, no en el brillo,
¡Y el alma a Dios se siente transformada!
La Eucaristía es centro de esta alianza,
Con gremios que se postran con amor,
Novenario que inspira esperanza,
¡Y el ruego sube con intenso ardor!
La imagen es de joven de quince abriles,
De ciento cuarenta y tres centímetros,
Venciendo de la historia los perfiles,
¡Y el aire huele a fe y a sacramentos!
Calleja se postró en aquel octubre,
Ante tu Inmaculada perfección,
Tu bendición la historia siempre cubre,
¡Y la victoria es dulce bendición!
En mil novecientos seis se hizo el reparto,
Los gremios tomaron ya tu fiesta,
Con carniceros, panaderos y harto,
¡Y cada ofrenda es cántico que se presta!
El oro de la corona sin medida,
Fue ofrenda noble del gremio carnicero,
Una joya de fe nunca perdida,
¡Y tu diadema brilla en el sendero!
La tela para el vestido de reina,
La dio el panadero con el comercio,
Cada detalle de tu fiesta se peina,
¡Y de gozo brilla hasta el recio!
La Coronación Canónica fue un hito,
En el cincuenta y cuatro, gran alborada,
Abarrotó de fieles el recinto,
¡Y la Madre del Cielo fue aclamada!
La procesión que recorrió las calles,
de Zacatecas, Baja, Chiapas, Tabasco,
Tu amor borró barrancos y valles,
¡Y el corazón se rinde sin fiasco!
Oh, Purísima, Madre de la Gracia pura,
Tu Templo es casa digna y remozada,
En ti el dolor se torna en dulzura,
¡Y mi fe te canta con alma enamorada!
