Peru celebrates Lord of Miracles today

The Catholic Church in Peru commemorates the Lord of Miracles, also known as the Cristo Moreno or Cristo de Pachacamilla, today, October 28. This central date of the October festivities includes a principal procession that draws millions of faithful in Lima and various cities throughout the country.

The devotion centers on an image of Jesus on Golgotha painted on an adobe wall by an enslaved person in the 17th century. According to ACI Prensa, a group of enslaved people from Angola formed a religious brotherhood in Pachacamilla, on the outskirts of colonial Lima, and built a simple structure of mud and cane for worship.

While the devotion continues throughout the month of October, the Church holds special commemorations on this day. Additional processions occur during the month, with a closing procession scheduled for November 1. Peruvian communities abroad also observe the tradition.