In the pueblos (villages) of Latin America, there is often one church in each town. In a world where the line between the secular and the sacred is thinner, one of the biggest civic events of the year is the festival of the local patron saint.
Sixteen years ago, Father Shay Auerbach and his parishioners endeavored to bring this type of celebration to Richmond. At Sacred Heart, Richmond, the inaugural Festival of the Sacred Heart took place in 2007, and in the years since, the popularity of the event has grown.
“This is a way for the community to gather around our identity,” said Father Shay. “The patron of our parish is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is a chance for the community to be renewed and built around the Sacred Heart.”
Sacred Heart boasts a Spanish-speaking community of several thousand people. The festival, also billed as RVA Latino Festival, celebrates a variety of cultures from Latin America. On the evening of Friday, June 16, the 2023 version of the festival was inaugurated with a bilingual Mass, followed by traditional food and dancing.
“Here, the church community is like our pueblo, but the people come from all over the world,” said Emilia Aguilar, a Sacred Heart parishioner and festival volunteer. “We aren’t from the same pueblo, or from the same ranch, but we have our community here, and we have our patronal festival just like we had in our home countries.”
A new marimba, built in Guatemala and gifted to the parish, was a highlight of the evening. Originally an African instrument, marimbas were brought to the New World under Spanish rule.
Now, the marimba is the national instrument of Guatemala, and this particular marimba was first played at the parish just weeks ago at the Feast of Pentecost. At Mass, the soothing tropical tones infused the incense and Spanish hymns with a distinct flavor, and afterwards, led festivalgoers in dance.
Salvador Soto, a parishioner and volunteer who has been instrumental in the festival since the beginning, helped organize a Saturday lineup of performances by traditional dancers and musicians, including a Mexican band. Soto, who works as a photographer, says that he meets many of his contacts through work.
“When I do photography at weddings and quinceañeras, I meet many gifted people,” said Soto. Originally from Mexico, he has built a portfolio of talented contacts since moving to Richmond in 2005.
“I can’t say anything bad in Richmond,” he joked, “because somebody knows me on every corner.”
Along with Aguilar, Father Shay and other community leaders, Soto has seen the festival grow in the past sixteen years. “When we started, maybe a thousand people would come,” he said. “Now, we expect three or four thousand a year. And it’s not just for Catholics or Latinos. It’s something for everybody in Richmond.”
Father Santos Ramirez, from Our Lady of Lourdes, Richmond, enjoyed the festival with coconut water and an elote. Also called “street corn,” an elote is a popular treat throughout Latin America, particularly in Mexico. An elote is a corn-on-the-cob smeared with mayonnaise and seasoned with spices and cheese.
“Everybody there was having fun, laughing, and eating delicious food,” said Father Santos. “With all my heart, I want to congratulate and bless everyone who participated.”
“It was a festival of faith, of culture and of friendship,” he added. “Thanks to this festival, I was able to make new friends with whom I can begin to walk. It was wonderful to see the participation of people from different countries, living together, making friends, telling stories and sharing their faith.”