By Father Bill Hoffman

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Father William G. Hoffman writes again to GEORGIA BULLETIN readers. He describes a celebration at the Shrine of Our lady of Cocharas in Peru. Father Hoffman is a priest of the Archdiocese of Atlanta presently working in Peru. He attended the 350^th anniversary of the Shrine in September of last year.)

Probably only a few GEORGIA BULLETIN readers have ever heard of Cocharcas or its shrine tucked away in the rugged high sierra of Peru.

The village stands about 3000 feet above the Pampas River, which forms the boundary between the departments of Ayacucho and Apurimac.

A road finally reached the town in 1950 but it is still a remote village of only 500 people. A shrine is located there, however, and draws huge numbers of people each year.

More than 10,000 attended the 350^th anniversary on September 8, 1973.

Cocharcas received a special statue of Mary in 1598, and some 25 years later the present shrine was completed. This shrine is about three times as large as the Atlanta Cathedral.

The history of the virgin statute centers around an Indian by the name of Sebastian Quimuchi. At the age of 23, he was injured in a game played with torches. Large splinters from a torch pierced his wrist causing him tremendous pain and denying him the use of his hand.

One day he overheard a woman describe a pilgrimage she had made to Our Lady of Copacabana in Bolivia. Being a man, Sebastian decided to go there himself seeking a cure. On the way to the shrine he was suddenly healed. He continued on his pilgrimage however, in order to give thanks for the miracle.

He resolved to bring back a copy of the Virgin statue to Cocharcas and after begging of alms, he obtained from the artist of the original statue an almost identical copy. His return trip to Cocharcas was arduous and problem-ridden and he personally carried the statue from one village to another. Processions and joyful prayers welcomed his arrivals.

When Sebastian finally arrived at Cocharcas he was greeted with rejoicing and a festival. The statute was placed in the tiny chapel and miracles worked through the intercession of the Virgin became widely known. Sebastian continued to collect alms for the tiny chapel until the time of his death.

Some two months before the celebration last year, the people of Andahuaylas began to talk about Cocharcas. Everyone who could find transportation was going. Never mind that the town provides no facilities for such numbers. They would camp as they could or just not sleep.

My first reaction was this was going to be some religious circus.

Marxists were going (the only time they would show a religious dimension in their lives). Atheists were going (an outing). Protestants were going (they too are child of the Virgin). And I was going (the boy scouts pushed me to take them, but I probably would have gone anyway).

The devout, the curious and the bored came; so did the tourists, the peddlers, the revelers and the newsmen. They came on foot, by truck, bus and car along the narrow road.

Some 15 of use were in a pick-up truck, arriving at 1:00 a.m. September 8. Coming into Cocharcas we were treated to an excellent view of the fireworks in the town below.

Somewhere in the parking area we found room to pitch three tents. Few were interested in sleeping however. There was too much activity; fireworks, food and drink, booths and singing. Confessions were being heard in the Church and nearly everyone was trying to get inside to light a candle before the statue of Mary.

The official program included confessions all night long, Masses beginning at 4:00 a.m., marriages, baptisms and processions. Along with all this there were discussions on selected themes dealing with the Eucharist and Mary. The feast was actually intended as a Eucharist Congress. The discussions were conducted in groups: young people, campesinos, teachers, students, catechists and Cursillistas.

Cardinal Juan Landazuri Ricketts from Lima and some seven other bishops were present along with about 20 priests. These, of course, led the assembly in the principal Masses and the processions. Interestingly, the masses were conducted in Spanish, but most of the singing was in Quechua, led by an Irish member of the St. James Society, Dermott Malloy (author of several works in Quechua, the language of the Incas, which is still widely spoken here).

The procession was in the Andean custom: slow, with fireworks, singing, a concluding impassioned sermon, with lots of candles, incense, a band playing etc. As soon as the procession was over, there was a mad exodus out of Cocharcas. Most had come to be present for the Mass and procession honoring the Virgin, having perhaps confessed and received Communion, thereby having fulfilled their religious duties to God for the year. Those who remained behind could take a certain perverse pleasure in looking up and seeing the line of cars, stretching out for better than miles, all stopped due to the broken down lead car. And the line did not move again for over two hours.

The second day of Eucharist-Marian Congress was devoted to the mystery of Jesus’ presence in the Sacrament. Perhaps a third of the previous day’s crowd remained. Following Mass, the Sacrament was carried in procession around the shrine, though somewhat less than in the traditional Andean style. We then left, and a truck immediately in front of us broke down, stopping us for over two hours.

Three months later, at our monthly meeting of the priests and sisters in the diocese, an evaluation of the celebration was undertaken. Our general conclusions were these: The people will continue the feast. It is part of the popular religiousity, so our tastes are to be put aside in favor of the vast number who find this their style.

Even though great fervor is shown during the fiesta, there is little evidence that there are any lasting results like greater charity, greater justice to one’s neighbor or a greater commitment to the local Christian parish. To many, the Cocharcas celebration is their religious practice.