| The Parish of Santo Domingo de Guzmán de Mula welcomes the image of the Child until September 22, when it will return to its sanctuary without a pilgrimage | The image of the Infant Jesus of Balate - popularly known as Niño de Mula or Niño de Balate - is in the Santo Domingo de Guzmán Parish, where it will remain until September 22, the day on which it will return to its sanctuary, without pilgrimage.
Until September 19, the parish will remain open from 8:30 a.m.
to 1:00 p.m.
and from 5:00 p.m.
to 10:30 p.m., with the aim that all the faithful can approach the temple and pray with the image, respecting the maximum capacity of 100 people.Every year, on September 21, Mula commemorates the appearance of the Balate Child to Fray Pedro de Jesús.
On that day, a massive nocturnal pilgrimage is usually carried out and the so-called Pilgrim's Mass is celebrated, which, on this occasion, has been canceled in order to avoid crowds in the temple.
However, the parish will remain open all night, uninterrupted, so that pilgrims who come to venerate the Child can do so, respecting the security measures typical of the pandemic.
"All the faithful who come to the parish are being deeply civic and are an example of love and protection for their neighbor, but, sometimes, it is difficult to follow the virus prevention protocols, therefore,on the day of the night pilgrimage there will be a professional controller who will ensure that all security measures are met in the temple, so that the faithful can be calm and focus on what is important, which is prayer ", explains Joaquín Miguel Hernández, parish priest of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, who also states that on that day Mass will be celebrated, every hour, from 6:00 a.m.
to 1:00 p.m.
and, in the afternoon, at 7:00 p.m.
and 8:00 p.m.On September 22, the image of the Child of Mula will return to its sanctuary in the district that bears his name.
That same day, at 8:30 a.m., the Parish of Santo Domingo de Guzmán will celebrate Mass with subsequent sending of pilgrims and, finally, in the afternoon, at 8:00 p.m., the celebration of the Eucharist will take place in the Sanctuary of Balate, ending the festivities in his honor."The devotion to the Niño de Mula transcends the regional and reaches all of Murcia, even going beyond its borders - Joaquín Hernández assures us - that is why it is so beautiful, in these circumstances, to see the number of people who, moved by devotion, He is visiting the parish these days to confess, receive communion and make his requests to the Child, in short, to get closer to God ".Some very special celebrationsThe commemoration of the appearance of the Niño de Mula, like many other celebrations this year, has been marked by the pandemic.
To begin with, its arrival in the municipality –which usually takes place on September 11– was earlier than Tuesday 8, because on this occasion the image did not make its usual stop at the Monastery of the Incarnation.
In addition, her arrival at the Santo Domingo de Guzmán temple, which is generally crowded, took place at dawn and privately, with the aim of avoiding crowds, in attention to health measures for the prevention of Covid-19.The next day, a ceremony to welcome the Child took place that began at 6:00 p.m., with the celebration of the Eucharist, which was attended by the municipal authorities.
At the conclusion of Mass, doves were released at the entrance of the temple and the different churches of the city rang their bells at the same time.
"It was very exciting because never before had all of the Mula bells sounded at once and, in a way, it was a way of meaning that even though we couldn't be together, we were actually a crowd of people united in thanksgiving to the Lord.
", affirms Joaquín Hernández.In addition, on September 11, the blessing of the new tabernacle of the Santo Domingo de Guzmán Parish took place, with which part of the ancient altarpiece of the temple is recovered, which was lost during the Civil War.
"We are very happy that the tabernacle was ready for the arrival of the Niño de Balate to Mula, since he is the soul of our parish", highlights Hernández, who also points out that the blessing took place three days after the arrival of the Child to the city with the aim of not interrupting the novena in honor of Our Lady of Carmen, patron saint of the municipality.
Although the cost of the work has been 40,000 euros, according to the parish priest, this expense is practically covered thanks to the collaboration of all the parishioners who, before the pandemic, organized raffles and different activities,with the aim of raising funds for its construction.
Source: Obispado de Cartagena