Huesca celebrates this Monday, August 10, the solemnity of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr, patron of the city and the diocese, with a day marked by the procession of his image and the solemn pontifical Mass presided over by the bishop of Huesca and Jaca, Pedro Aguado Cuesta. The religious acts occupy a central place within the festivities that during these days bring together thousands of Huesca residents and visitors around the saint.
The devotion to Saint Lawrence thus becomes visible again in the streets of Huesca through traditions passed down through generations: the bust of the martyr will travel through the city accompanied by the clergy, the confraternities, the dancers, the authorities and the faithful, while the Royal and Parochial Basilica of Saint Lawrence concentrates a large part of the liturgical celebrations.
The events are integrated into patronal festivities with nearly 300 activities organized in the city, including concerts, popular celebrations and a bullfighting fair. But at the origin and center of the festivities remains the figure of the martyr whom Huesca honors as its patron.
A triduum before the relic of Saint Lawrence
The religious preparation for the solemnity began on Friday, August 7, with the triduum celebrated in the Laurentian basilica, which has continued during the days of the 8th and 9th.
Each day has included the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the recitation of the Rosary, the prayers to Saint Lawrence, the blessing, the reservation and the solemn celebration of the Eucharist. The acts conclude with the singing of the hymn and the veneration of the martyr’s relic.
This Sunday, the eve of the solemnity, the basilica will also host at 9:00 p.m. the solemn singing of Compline, presided over by the bishop and musically accompanied by the Huesca Chamber Orchestra, the Huesca Choral Society and the Ars Musicae Choir.
Saint Lawrence will once again walk the streets of Huesca
The main day will begin this Monday at 7:00 a.m. with the Dawn Rosary inside the basilica. Throughout the day, Masses will be celebrated at 7:30, 9:30, 10:15, 1:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
At 9:15 a.m. one of the central moments of the festivities will take place: the departure of the solemn procession of Saint Lawrence from the basilica toward the cathedral.
The bust of the patron will travel through the streets accompanied by the parish clergy, the Confraternity of Saint Lawrence, the Confraternity of the Holy Christ of Miracles and Saint Lawrence Martyr, the Confraternity of Loreto, the mairalesas, representatives of the City Council and the devotees.
Alongside the saint will also be the traditional dancers, who will offer their dance as a «living prayer» to Saint Lawrence. Once the procession arrives at the cathedral, the bishop of Huesca and Jaca, the cathedral chapter and the civil authorities will join before beginning the return to the basilica.
There, at 10:15 a.m., the dancers will dance before the altar and afterward the pontifical Mass presided over by Pedro Aguado will begin. The Huesca Choral Society, the Ars Nova Choir and the Ars Musicae Choir will be in charge of the musical part.
Saint Lawrence and «the treasures of the Church»
On the occasion of the feast, the bishop of Huesca and Jaca has also recalled the Christian meaning of the figure of the martyr and his testimony of charity.
Saint Lawrence was a deacon of the Church of Rome and died a martyr during the persecution of Emperor Valerian in the 3rd century. The Christian tradition has especially preserved the episode in which, required to hand over the riches of the Church, he presented the poor and needy as his true treasure.
In his letter on the occasion of this year’s solemnity, Pedro Aguado has precisely recovered this dimension of the saint and has pointed out that «the testimony of faith is manifested in works of love and charity toward one’s neighbor.»
The bishop recalls that faith and charity «mutually demand each other» in the Christian life and presents Saint Lawrence as an example of one who knew how to recognize and safeguard the true goods of the Church: «This is the testimony of Saint Lawrence, who knew how to safeguard and present the treasures of the Church, which are the poor.»
The devotion will continue after the solemnity
The religious acts will not end on August 10. On Tuesday the 11th, the Mass of the Confraternity of Saint Lawrence will be celebrated, presided over by the parish priest and chaplain Nicolás López Congosto. At the end of the Eucharist, the Sucessa Homage Medal will be conferred on the confreres who have belonged to the corporation for more than fifty years.
On Wednesday the 12th, another tradition linked to devotion to the patron will take place. At 11:45 a.m., the presentation of children to Saint Lawrence will be held, accompanied by the recitation of the prayer to the saint.
On Saturday the 15th, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin, another of the great moments of the festivities will arrive. At 7:00 p.m., the offering of flowers and fruits to Saint Lawrence will depart from Monreal Avenue, with folk performances in honor of the martyr.
Afterward, inside the basilica, the offering of laurel and a nocturnal prayer and meditation before the saint will take place. At 11:30 p.m., his last departure from the basilica will occur for the traditional farewell.
The Octave of Saint Lawrence will be celebrated on Sunday the 16th with the Eucharist and the singing of Compline. Finally, on August 23, a Mass of thanksgiving offered by the Confraternity of the Holy Christ of Miracles and Saint Lawrence Martyr will take place.
For more than a week, the basilica and the streets of Huesca will thus once again bring together liturgy, confraternities and popular traditions around Saint Lawrence, keeping visible the Christian origin of festivities that bear the name of their patron.