Bishop leads special prayers for rain in drought-stricken Catalonia

Bishop leads special prayers for rain in drought-stricken Catalonia

Farmers rally around the small hope that divine intervention will bring much-needed relief

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Hundreds of Catholics in the small town of L’Espunyola near Barcelona joined together to pray for rain Sunday.

The Bishop of Solsona, Francesc Conesa, led a mass at a church that was so packed that dozens of people had to stand outside.

“We aren’t coming to God so that he will do magic; we are asking for help,” said Conesa during his sermon. “People may look at us with skepticism, but we need that gift from heaven.”

The Bishop then joined worshippers as they lifted Our Lady of the Torrents, a local virgin associated with rainfall, from her resting place in the church and carried her around the streets in a procession.

Last week, a group of farmers asked the church to bring back the old tradition of praying for rain as they saw their fields wither away.

Spain has been in an official drought for more than a year, and the province of Barcelona is one of the hardest-hit areas.

The Catalan government recently increased water restrictions. For instance, it is now forbidden to water ornamental gardens, whether public or private, in large swathes of the region.

Agricultural activities must also cut back water usage by 40%.

The last time the village held a special mass and procession praying for rain was in 2008 and around 60 years before that, according to the Spanish daily Europa Press.

This week in L’Espunyola, it is forecast to be hot, sunny and dry, with temperatures rising to 25C (77F) by the end of the week, according to Spain's meteorological agency AEMET.


Kaynak:Source of News

This news has been read 103 times in total

ADD A COMMENT to TO THE NEWS
UYARI: Küfür, hakaret, rencide edici cümleler veya imalar, inançlara saldırı içeren, imla kuralları ile yazılmamış,
Türkçe karakter kullanılmayan ve büyük harflerle yazılmış yorumlar onaylanmamaktadır.
Previous and Next News