Spanish Funeral Mary El Pilar Memorial Prayer

The Apparition of the Virgin of El Pilar to St. James 1773 Nicolás Enríquez Mexican This painting depicts the appearance of the Virgin Mary to Saint James and his followers on the bank of the Ebro River, outside the city walls of Zaragoza, Spain. According to tradition, the Virgin, who appeared on top of a stone pillar, was conveyed from Jerusalem by angels to encourage the saint in his evangelization of the Roman province of Hispania. The saint is accompanied by seven disciples, among them a man whose features may be those of the painting’s owner, Juan Bautista Echeverría. Recognized as patron of Aragon in 1678, the Virgin of El Pilar was revered throughout the Spanish world. In Mexico City the devotion is associated with the convent church known as the Enseñanza, where an ivory replica of the Zaragoza Virgin was venerated. All text is in Spanish and may be modified. (Credit: Metropolitanmuseum.org) The English translation of the prayer on the back reads: Oh Pious Heart of Jesus always present in the sacrament, always full of burning love for the poor captive souls in Purgatory, have mercy on the soul of whoever comes to You with humility. Don't be too severe in Your Judgment and let some drops of Your Precious Blood fall in the devouring flames and do, pious Lord, that Your angels lead the soul from whom he cries out to a place of rest and eternal peace. Amen.