CLINTON — A special votive Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary preceded by a rosary meditation on the people of Peru will be celebrated Nov. 18 in Prince of Peace Church.
The Clinton parish will celebrate the Feast of La Virgin Pura y Limpia (Virgin Most Pure), the patron feast of their sister parish in Sapillica, Peru, beginning at 4:15 p.m. with the rosary, followed by Mass at 5:30 pm.
The Peru Task Force has been organizing celebrations of the feast day for five years, but this will be the first year that the celebration will include a Mass and will be observed on the very day of the feast.
“We hope many parishioners will be able to join us,” said Barbara Foster, chair of the Task Force.
Thursday’s religious celebration will be followed on the weekend, Nov. 20-21, by a sale of handmade Peruvian craft items following the Masses at 5 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
The sale items are sewn by women of the Chulucanas Diocese who are training at a workshop operated by Sisters of Mercy. The women learn various trades, including sewing, to enable them to support themselves and their families. Always a popular event at Prince of Peace, the sale offers table coverings, children’s clothing, purses, and a variety of other items made with Peruvian cloth. The proceeds are returned to the workshop.
For more information about the Nov. 18 celebration, call Sallyann McCarthy, (563) 242-7611.
