Celebrate Our Lady of Providence, Patroness of Puerto Rico!

Our Lady of Providence is a Marion devotion that began at the Church of San Carlo ai Catinari in Rome, Italy.

The Virgin of Providence is the patroness of Puerto Rico. His feast marks the traditional start of Puerto Rico's Christmas holiday season - the longest in the world.

Feast of Our Lady of Providence

The Feast of Our Lady of Providence is November 19.

Devotion to Our Lady of Providence is based on the protective care of God

The devotion began around 1611 when a cleric visited to pray for help in financing the completion of the church. Upon his return, the funding was received.

It's Our Lady of Providence. She represents God's protective care, but not only in the bestowal of gifts. As Benjamin Franklin famously put it in 1736, "God helps those who help themselves."

This is the idea behind Our Lady of Providence, that God will help you if you help yourself.

Mater Divinae Providentiae

Altar of Our Lady of Providence in the Church of San Carlo ai Catinari in Rome, Italy. Courtesy of the Barnabites.

The late Renaissance painter Scipione Pulzone painted "Mater Divinae Providentiae" around 1580. It depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the infant Jesus.

The painting was donated to the Clerics of St. Paul (Barnabites) and installed in the Chapel of the Mother of Divine Providence in the Church of San Carlo ai Catinari in 1663.

A copy of the painting was placed on the high altar of the church in 1732. It inspired great devotion.

The painting looks surprisingly modern.

Our Lady of Providence is the patroness of Puerto Rico