Patroness of Our Parish
OUR LADY OF REFUGE
When our
parish was founded in 1948, it was named after our Blessed Mother
under her title Our Lady of Refuge. The statue of Mary,
Refuge of Sinners ( shown at right), stands at the front of
our Church. It
portrays a gentle mother holding the child Jesus in one hand, with
the other hand extended, beckoning us to draw closer to Jesus.
Our parish
is fortunate in having Our Lady of Refuge as its patroness. This
title of Mary has a long history paralleling the story of our
State. On January 4, 1843, the first Bishop of the Californias,
Bishop Francisco Garcia Diego
y Moreno
stood at Mission Santa Clara (near San Jose) and proclaimed Our Lady of
Refuge patroness of both Baja California (now Mexico) and Alta
California (the present State of California). The entire text of the
Bishop's proclamation is found in Mission Santa Clara's Libro de
Patentes. He said:
We
make known to you that we hereby name the great Mother
of God in her most
precious title, 'del Refugio, ' the principal patroness of our diocese…
With so great a patroness and protectress, what can we not promise
ourselves? What can be wanting and whom need we fear?
If through the centuries this most worthy Mother of God has shown goodness
and compassion to all peoples and nations… will she not do likewise for
those peoples who bind themselves to her as their refuge and special
patroness?"
In
the early days of California, the feast of Our Lady of Refuge was
celebrated with great solemnity at all the mission churches. The
entire coat of arms of Bishop Garcia Diego included only the image of Our
Lady of Refuge. A painting of Our Lady of Refuge holding her Child,
usually the product of a local or native artist, graced each mission
church after the bishop’s proclamation. To this day most of the
twenty-one missions of Alta California still display this image in the
churches or in their museums.
The
original painting of Our Lady of Refuge came to the Franciscan College of
Zacatecas in Mexico from Italy. An Italian Jesuit missionary brought it to
Mexico to explain the enthusiastic interest in Our Lady, Refuge of
Sinners, that had developed in parish missions in eighteenth century
Italy. Devotion to the Mother of Jesus under this title and in this
pictorial representation gained wide popularity among the Mexican and
California Franciscans and the people they served.
Paintings
of Our Lady of Refuge are, with few exceptions, quite similar in design
and execution. The heads of the Infant Jesus and his Mother Mary lean
together with no background between them. Both figures wear a crown.
Mary’s eyes are turned toward the observer, while the gaze of the child
seems to turn left of the viewer.
Celebration
of the feast of Our Lady of Refuge continued during the mission era of the
State, but over time the custom waned. Then in 1981 the
California Catholic Conference of Bishops petitioned the Vatican
Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship for authorization to
observe the feast of Our Lady of Refuge on July 5 as an obligatory
memorial. This was approved by official document dated January 15, 1982,
and signed by Archbishop Giuseppe Casoria.
We are
honored that our parish has Our Lady of Refuge as its patroness, a
reminder of her loving care for us and the people of California.
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History
of Our Lady of Refuge - Brother John Samaha, S.M., University of Dayton Website
