One of the most intense and significant events of Calabrian popular devotion is renewed on the night between Monday and Tuesday of Pentecost: the nocturnal pilgrimage to the Sanctuary Basilica Madonna di Porto di Gimigliano.
An ancient tradition that continues to cross generations and which, in the year of the Jubilee for the 400 years of the origin of the devotion to the Madonna of Porto, takes on an even deeper meaning, becoming a sign of faith, hope and communion for the entire diocesan territory.
The welcome of pilgrims in the night
Throughout the night the Mother Church of Gimigliano and the Sanctuary will remain open to welcome pilgrims coming from Catanzaro and from the numerous centers of Calabria, many of whom will reach Porto on foot, according to a tradition that has been handed down for centuries.
A reception point will be set up in Cavora by the Pro Loco, while at the Sanctuary the assistance and reception service for pilgrims will be guaranteed by the “Friends of the Sanctuary of Porto” association, which has been involved for years in supporting the pastoral and organizational activities of the place of worship.
The vigil and the Dawn Mass
At the Sanctuary, from 4.30 pm, the diocesan vigil will be held animated by the Diocesan Service for Youth Ministry, accompanied by the availability of the priests for the sacrament of Reconciliation.
At 5.30 am the solemn Mass of the dawn will be celebrated, one of the most evocative and popular moments of the feast of the Madonna of Porto, in the climate of meditation and prayer that accompanies the arrival of the pilgrims at dawn on Pentecost Tuesday.
Transport services and the direction of the journey
To facilitate the return of the faithful, at the end of the celebration, the Calabria Railways buses will guarantee the connection between Porto and Catanzaro.
The “night of the Madonna” thus continues to tell a simple and authentic faith, made up of steps, prayer, sacrifice and entrustment to Mary, preserving a memory that belongs profoundly to the spiritual history of the Church of Catanzaro-Squillace and of the whole of Calabria.