In a farewell gesture to his now-former diocese, Bishop Jorge Alberto Cavazos Arizpe walked on his knees from the back of the diocesan basilica to the altar where the miraculous image of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos was kept.
Cavazos headed the diocese of San Juan de los Lagos for six years and was recently appointed Archbishop of San Luis Potosí.
Cavazos will be installed as the Archbishop of San Luis Potosí on 1 July.
The miraculous image of the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos is kept in the cathedral basilica of San Juan de los Lagos, the second most visited Marian shrine in Mexico.
According to local accounts, Our Lady, represented by the image, has worked several miracles over the centuries.
The first miracle occurred in 1623 when the statue was brought out from the sacristy, where it had been stored away for 80 years due to its poor condition, and placed on the chest of a young girl who had been killed during an acrobatic performance. The girl came back to life, unharmed.
Dr. Everardo López Padilla, who is in charge of the cathedral’s Historical Archive, said Cavazos, “when bidding farewell to Our Blessed Mother of San Juan, wanted to do it like the pilgrims: on his knees.”
“He entered at the cathedral’s front [doors], and covered almost 60 meters (195 feet) on his knees with his eyes fixed on the beloved Virgin of San Juan, ‘la Cihualpilli,’” meaning “the Great Lady” in the local language.