Prayer to Holy Innocence
The prayer to the Holy Innocence was taken by the Catholic church because in her life, this little girl loved God in silence for her father's retaliation against her by becoming a devotee of religion. The church places Santa Inocencia as a Roman virgin, since moments before she died she was taken to the cathedral and that is where the parents and nuns who knew her pray to her so that her soul rises, for that reason from that moment the prayer that is prayed to her is as follows:
“O great God, all powerful, I come before you on my knees, to offer you my whole life. I give you with love everything I conceive and express, think and appreciate. I grant you all my hopes, illusions, wishes and aspirations. I give you my heart to love you and be your faithful servant with all my strength, will and abilities.
Explain to me everything you can, form me as a good person just like you are and let me do everything you want, let me offer you everything, honor you and do the work of your good will.
Fill me with Your affection until my chest is completely full. Teach me how to be humble, for only You can instruct me on how to begin doing Your works of goodwill correctly.
Teach me how to stop thinking only of myself, how to stop being a proud and arrogant person. Don't let me think I want to be the center of the world or my surroundings. Don't let me lose my innocence and my confidence.
Give me the courage to aspire to do good through me, just as your son Jesus Christ did in his past throughout this cruel and inhuman world. I know that without you I will not be able to become anything that I set out to be. I wish that your holy will be done through me.
Let me wish to do everything you want, let me entrust myself to you and offer you my life completely to serve you and venerate you for all the rest of the days that I have left to live. In your hands I trust, under your care and holy protection. Amen."
Biography of Saint Innocence
The story of Santa Inocencia is a bit disturbing and chilling, this story is from more than three hundred years ago in which it is told how a little Roman girl named Inocencia was taken from the Catholic Church by her father, since he took it as a waste of time and that neither he nor his daughter were going to remain in that religion.
However, what this man didn't know was that his beautiful daughter, Inocencia, wouldn't listen to what he had said, as she wanted to practice her faith in God. One day, when the girl went out, she befriended a nun, who invited her to participate in catechism classes so she could make her First Communion. In some catechism classes, the girl learned from the nuns about the entire life of Jesus, along with her parents, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. In addition, they showed her the lives of each apostle and how difficult life was for those early Christians.
While in other classes they spoke to her about who God was, the commandments, sacraments and the Bible that was written about him, little Inocencia was very excited by so much information and her joy increased even more when the nuns invited her to receive Holy Communion, the only bad thing was that she would do it secretly from her father, but she accepted anyway.
Her great friend the nun gave her a beautiful white dress so that she could go to the cathedral as a girl worthy of communion, hours later that day the girl returned home to tell her everything she had done to her father with the hope that he could accept her decision and support her.
What little Inocencia didn't expect was that her father wouldn't take it the way she wanted, and in a moment of rage, her father stabbed her with a knife in the chest, killing her immediately and coldly. Seeing such a horrible act, he ran desperately out of his house screaming what he had done. Her own neighbors, upon hearing the screams and entering their house, found the little girl, Saint Inocencia, lying on the ground. Seeing her on the ground, they didn't hesitate to take her to the cathedral to pray for her.
The murder of the infant Saint Innocence by her father was considered by all the people to be an act of the devil and was one of the first persecutions against Catholicism. Saint Innocence was buried in the cemetery of Santa Siriaca in Rome, Italy, where she did not remain for long. In 1786, her tiny body was exhumed so that a bishop could take it to the cathedral in Guadalajara, Mexico, where it currently resides.
The girl's preserved body is displayed to tourists and devotees who wish to pay their respects. Saint Innocence is enshrined in a glass case, wearing the ceremonial white dress of her First Communion. Her body is considered a relic of the Catholic Church and symbolized the love of the Eucharist, forming part of the Church's sacraments.
Beneath the girl's body is a plaque that tells the tragic story of her life, which is why it is one of the places many tourists visit. Sometimes, the Holy Innocence is referred to as the girl from the cathedral or the bride dressed for eternity.
Massacre of the Innocents
Something almost everyone is aware of is that there have always been innocent people in humanity who have paid with their lives for the wrath and greed of others. Not to mention that, in the first century, Herod perpetrated a massive massacre of innocents, motivated by a political event rather than a war accident. Most of the victims were defenseless children, so thanks to Holy Innocence, these children were also consecrated as saints and innocents because of their lives.
This consecration is known as the Holy Innocents within the Bible, but they are not usually described in great detail. Similarly, like the Holy Innocence, these Holy Innocents came to have a day of commemoration between the end of the 4th century and the end of the 5th century.
This holiday is known as April Fool's Day or Chilermas. This holiday was once considered a role-playing event, imitating the Roman festival of Saturnalia, which placed children with greater authority than adults. Despite all this, it was later changed to a day entirely dedicated to innocent pranks. This grand celebration takes place every December 28th.
Beyond what can be read in the Bible, the Holy Innocents are considered the first Christian martyrs, which is why they can often be seen holding palm branches to represent their martyrdom. However, when it comes to Herod's order to kill all children two years old or younger in Bethlehem and its surrounding areas, the death toll was not as high as he had expected.
Legend of Holy Innocence
The life of Santa Inocencia is usually somewhat contradictory, since there is a lot of absence of her biographical data but even so there are various legends that are popularized by her communion dress that she wears in her glass urn, her mummified body and her eyes. One of the legends tells that this girl called Inocencia wanted with all her being to be able to make her first communion despite the threats of her father, who at times hit her for talking about it.
One ordinary day, while walking home from school, this little girl began to hear various beautiful songs and prayers coming from a small house. Curious, she approached through a window to see what was happening. Upon seeing her, she realized that catechism was being taught in that small house.
Out of great curiosity, she would sneak past her father every day to learn a little more about the catechism. One day, one of the nuns teaching noticed them praying outside their houses. As she stepped outside, she saw the girl praying on the grass and invited her to join the class.
When the nun saw that all the children were ready to receive God's blessing and the Sacrament, Inocencia, unsure whether to tell her father, went straight to the nun to clarify her doubts. The nun told her it was better to have good on one's side than evil. So the big day Inocencia had been waiting for arrived, and she decided to go with the other children to the Guadalajara Cathedral wearing a beautiful white lace dress that the nuns had given her as a gift.
After the little girl received her first communion, she was very happy and went home with the intention of being able to break the news to her father, who was cooking at the time. What the girl did not expect is that when she told her father the news, he stabbed her in the chest fleeing the place, since he had killed her, the neighbors entering the house and seeing such a horrible scene grabbed the little girl to take her to the place where he made his first communion.
Currently Santa Inocencia is a completely mummified girl for all the centuries she possesses and is considered one of the most famous within the historic center of Guadalajara in Mexico, which has become a historic place for tourists, since it has gigantic bell towers from the years 1854 on a beautiful building with Spanish Renaissance style. However, the history of Santa Inocencia is under discussion, due to the fact that it is not known for sure how the body of the girl arrived at the Cathedral of Guadalajara.
Another legend that is given to Santa Inocencia is the story that is read on the small board of the cathedral where they explain how her body was taken from the cemetery and delivered to Don Vicente Flores Alatorre, who was the dignitary of the Catholic church that gave knowledge to the cathedral of Guadalajara.
This man, upon possessing the body of the girl, handed it over to the convent of nuns called Agustinas de Santa Mónica located in Guadalajara, but despite this, the small convent eventually closed, since the diocesan seminary would begin to use said place and they were the ones who They found the body of Inocencia in the chapel.
After a time, specifically in 1915, the seminary was moved to the San Sebastián de Analco church, so they decided to take Santa Inocencia with them to the new location. However, when they were moved again, Archbishop Francisco Orozco y Jiménez made the final decision to send the body to the Guadalajara Cathedral.
Something contradictory about the plate is how they say that she was murdered not by her father but by Roman legionnaires who tortured her to death when Christianity began to be established in Europe.
Myth or Reality
The strongest legend of this last decade is that in 2012 a tourist uploaded a video to social networks where it is clearly seen how the eyes of the Holy Innocence open and close again.
Despite such a powerful video, many viewers often say that the video was somewhat edited to create a moment of glory for the girl, but the truth behind this video is that it can never be confirmed whether it was true or not. Although Catholics and the Church itself suggest it could have been a miracle recorded at the right moment.
The Holy Girl Innocence
The story of Saint Inocencia was written many years ago, and it tells the story of a girl named Inocencia who used to listen attentively to all her classmates as they talked about what First Communion was all about. Seeing them speak so enthusiastically made her even more excited to know that at some point in her life she would be able to perform this ceremony and receive the Body of Christ.
Upon leaving school, she ran home with great joy to ask her father's permission to make such a beautiful communion, but he was completely opposed, and without her mother to support her, since she had died some time ago, this girl remained silent and went to her room.
One day, she was discovered by a nun who saw her praying outside the house where catechism was taught. She accepted her to attend classes so she could learn about the Christian faith. Because Inocencia went in secret, she couldn't find clothes to wear for her First Communion, so the nun gave her a completely white dress so she could attend the special moment of the Eucharist with her classmates.
Upon receiving the body of Christ, the little girl was finally able to understand what Christianity was, so she excitedly went home with the dress to tell her father. Upon arriving, she realized her father was not in the living room but in the kitchen, so in her innocence, she approached, but her father, seeing her, was blinded by rage, and he killed her with the large knife he held.
Said man, upon committing such a catastrophe, disappeared from the place and was never heard from and was not found in any nearby town. It is said that if a woman looking for love reads her prayer in front of her he will be able to get the love of her life in no time.
Rational Explanation to the Case of Santa Inocencia
The most rational explanations offered by various researchers are based on the mummified body of Saint Innocence, since, based on the results of some tests performed on it, it is understood that the earth from the catacomb of Saint Syriaca may have contained a certain chemical component that aided in the unusual decomposition process of the girl. Furthermore, it is said that the dress was placed on the body long after her burial so that the townspeople, upon seeing her, might think this little girl was a martyr.
The girl's body, despite its age, appears very lifelike. However, studies have clearly revealed that the little girl's body has not been altered but rather rigorously embalmed. Some local residents often report that the little girl's nails and hair are regularly cut, but in the images and videos, it is clear that the little girl is wearing a wig, and her fingers appear completely decomposed.
Inside the glass tablet, you can see a kind of soil that usually contains dried blood, but it's unknown whether it's with Saint Innocence or was placed there later. In addition to this small tablet, another martyr named after her can be found in the town of Rimini, and tribute has been paid to her for many centuries, but this one has a different legend.
There is a third Holy Innocence in the city of Revena, Italy considered by Cardinal Robles of Guadalajara as the saint beatified for the various miracles she has performed over the years.
Incorrupt Bodies and Holy Innocence
Today, many incorrupt bodies are venerated within Catholic shrines. The idea of ​​these incorrupt bodies is generally identified by the way they are maintained just as they were at the moment of death.
Many of these bodies are often covered in various layers of wax to further the greater goal of incorruptibility. This is often the case with the body of the martyr Saint Innocence, which is housed in the cathedral of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. It is also known that in the display case where she is kept, many letters can be seen containing requests for miracles, along with various offerings that people often leave.
Holy Innocence Certificate of Authenticity
The certification of Santa Inocencia was made on March 1788, XNUMX, when it arrived in the city of Guadalajara by Fray Antonio Alcalde, who was responsible for certifying its authenticity. Over time, the formal reception of Santa Inocencia by the bishop of the decade took place, thanks to Fray Antonio Alcalde's authority as a public notary, fully confirming the authenticity of the document as a relic.
Then, months later, Canon Flores Alatorre gave the relic to the convent of the Augustinian nuns of Santa Mónica and then moved it to a building in San Sebastián de Analco, since the convent had been closed.
Guadalajara Cathedral
Said Basilica Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary or better known as the Guadalajara Cathedral is located in Mexico, exactly in the parish of the Archdiocese of Guadalajara, and is taken as one of the most representative buildings in the city.
This Cathedral is listed as the most beautiful monument in Mexico and represents the entire Historic Center of Guadalajara, another way it is known is as the Metropolitan Cathedral, it has a great history with more than four centuries.
The grand architecture is majestic and was consecrated on October 1716, 1818, to elevate the Catholic faith to the West. Over time, it has undergone countless modifications due to various earthquakes that have occurred at different times, causing damage to the entire structure. The current towers were built in the nineteenth century, as the originals were toppled by a magnitude XNUMX earthquake in XNUMX.
History of the Cathedral of Guadalajara
On May 1561, XNUMX, it was possible to obtain official authorization to start building the cathedral church, which would have a cost completely covered by the Royal Treasury, the indigenous community and the encomenderos, not complying with these two last with their commitment.
Thus, on July 13 of that same year, the second bishop of New Galicia, named Fray Pedro de Ayala, blessed the cornerstone of such a perfect and beautiful temple. The ecclesiastical and civil councils, along with royalty, attended this ceremony.
When a mass was being performed, some devotees began to launch rockets into the adjoining corral, some of these fell into the church, setting it on fire completely and leaving it semi-destroyed.
Thanks to the availability of the cathedral plans, reconstruction was possible. This work was carried out gradually, as funds were scarce at times. By February 1618, MartÃn Casillas, a local architect, managed to complete the construction on time, so that by April of that year the Blessed Sacrament was moved from the old church to the new one. Not to mention that in 1786 the martyr Saint Innocence would arrive at the cathedral to become a relic.
Years later, in 1818, a massive magnitude 1849 earthquake significantly shook the entire city, resulting in the terrible collapse of the cathedral's towers and dome. These were eventually rebuilt, but they collapsed again in XNUMX.
When the collapse happened again, the great architect Manuel Gómez Ibarra made new and stronger towers again, this work had a cost of more than thirty three thousand five hundred and twenty pesos, plus seven thousand one hundred and sixty for Ibarra's fees, since It took three years to complete them.
News of the Cathedral of Guadalajara
The cathedral church remains in constant danger today, having experienced several earthquakes during the current decade. The greatest risks to this structure are the slight tilt of the northern tower, its collapse, and some damage to the dome, among others. Not to mention the fact that, due to the various vibrations that are constantly occurring, the vehicular road beneath the cathedral could collapse, leaving a hole.
Said cathedral has an area of ​​more than seventy-seven by seventy-two square meters, it contains countless altars such as those of the Holy Innocence, Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of the Assumption, San Nicolás de Bari, San Juan de God, Our Lady of Guadalupe, The Patron Saint of Guadalajara called the Virgin of Zapopan, Santo Domingo de Guzmán, Santo Tomás de Aquino, San Cristóbal, among others.
There is also the canons' choir stall, located at the back of the church below the apse. The cathedral has more than fifty-two carved wooden stalls, becoming beautifully crafted works of art by the natives of Nayarit who specialized in craftsmanship. These creations were made while Nayarit still belonged to the state of Jalisco, so in addition to being beautiful sculptures, they possess unconditional artistic and historical value.
Upon reaching the center of the cathedral, you can see the cardinal's chair. This chair is made entirely of marble and silver, while the stained-glass windows are exclusively imported from Germany. In addition to all the works found in the Cathedral, there is also an area exclusively for viewing images of Our Lady of Sorrows, Christ of the Waters, and other famous saints.
We can also point out that it has martyrs such as Santa Inocencia and three cardinals buried there, the bishop of the diocese and the heart of Bishop Juan Cruz Ruiz de Cabañas y Crespo who was the founder of the old hospice.
crypts
When talking about the crypts of the cathedral, it can be pointed out that under what was the royal chapel, all the bishops from the decade of the sixteenth century are buried until what was the last resting place of Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo in the year 1993 In addition to this, the mortal remains of the servants of God who were don Juan de Santiago León Garabito and don Francisco Gómez de Mendiola who in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were the bishops of Guadalajara are also protected.
However, these crypts also offer a glimpse into the entire sanctuary and expansion of the great Guadalajara Cathedral. Today, what was the canons' crypt serves as a vault for cathedral archaeology, studying the times of the viceroyalty and the arista, despite having been in disuse for a long period.
Cathedral towers
By the nineteenth century, the incredible architect Manuel Gómez Ibarra built the current towers to the taste of Bishop Aranda y Carpinteiro. In some parts of Guadalajara it is said that after the Corpus Christi procession passed in the years 1851 and 1851, the bishop used to make figures and landscapes that showed various bell towers, which over time became the current towers.
This structure was created using pumice stones to minimize the risk of collapse in the event of any nearby earthquake. These were built between July 1851, 1854, and June XNUMX, XNUMX, so by then Santa Inocencia was in grave danger.
The towers were built on top of the first, flattening the four corners to gradually fill them in, allowing for the elliptical window junctions. Once this was achieved, the towers began to be sculpted with tiles. These are topped with the church's medallions, while two of the towers feature large iron Greek crosses like those on the old towers, giving them a 360-degree view of the entire city.
An iconic feature of these towers is that each tower features the apostles Saint Michael and Saint James, patrons of the beautiful city and the kingdom. The four towers have different heights, as they are designed to follow the triangulation of engineer José R. Benitez. The north-facing towers typically measure sixty-five and ninety meters high, while those facing south measure sixty-five and fifty meters.
The cathedral finally has around more than nineteen bells, six bells that were placed from largest to smallest representing the Saint Mary of the Assumption, the Immaculate Conception, Saint Anthony, Saint Peter, Our Lady of Sorrows and the Saint Mary of the Rose.
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