NEW YORK.– Distance does not prevent Dominicans from keeping their traditions and expressions of faith alive. In The Bronx, one of the neighborhoods with the largest presence of the Dominican community in New York, dozens of Dominicans gathered to celebrate the Virgin of Las Mercedes, patron saint of the Dominican Republic.
The community participated in a solemn mass on the occasion of the celebration of the Virgin, in a day marked by faith, prayer, and the pride of maintaining Dominican customs far from the national territory.
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The homily was delivered by auxiliary bishop Octavio Cisneros, who led the religious ceremony dedicated to the patron saint of the Dominican people.
During the celebration, those present raised their prayers for the Dominican Republic, for their families, and for the Dominicans living in different parts of the world, reaffirming the spiritual bond that keeps the diaspora united with their country of origin.
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For attendees, the celebration of the Virgin of Mercedes also represents an opportunity to pass on to new generations the religious and cultural traditions that are part of the Dominican identity.
The activity brought together families and community members who, even while living in New York, keep alive the customs with which they grew up in the Dominican Republic.
The celebration of the Virgin of Mercedes thus becomes a demonstration of how the Dominican community abroad preserves its roots and continues to carry with it part of the culture and faith that identifies it, generation after generation.
