Ecuador: Virgin of Monserrat gathers thousands of pilgrims
"Guayaquil, 24 (NE) More than 450 thousand faithful in Ecuador paid homage to the Virgin of Monserrat during a pilgrimage to her sanctuary at the feet of Montecristi hill, in the Ecuadorian county of Manabi. During the days that the traditional celebrations in honor of the Blessed Virgin lasted in this region, pilgrims poured to the Marian shrine to express their devotion to Blessed Mary. The number of faithful, according to the newspaper "El Comercio" of Quito, surpassed by large the number of pilgrims in previous years. The image of the Virgin of Monserrat was carried on Sunday from the sanctuary of Montecristi, going through the main streets of the city accompanied by thousands of faithful coming from different regions to honor the Blessed Mother of God...." (Added 11.29.99)