Our Lady of the Pillar is the patroness of Spain and the oldest Marian apparition. That's because Our Lady of the Pillar is the devotion associated with a Marian bilocation. Our Lady appeared to the Apostle James as he was trying to share the Gospel on the Iberian peninsula, but Mary was still alive. She hadn't been assumed into Heaven yet, based on the dates of James' ministry, and so her apparition was an act of bilocation.
The statue depicting Our Lady of the Pillar, though, is a relatively recent creation. What actually remains from that meeting between Mary and James, according to tradition, is the rock pillar that Mary stood on. Hence she is known as Our Lady of the Pillar, and the pillar itself is honored at her basilica in Zaragoza. Specifically, the basilica is covered in a beautiful mantle each day.
Taking up that tradition, the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) will offer a new mantle to the Virgin of the Pillar on May 13, presenting her as “Mother of persecuted Christians.” The ceremony will take place at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza.
The Archbishop of Zaragoza, Carlos Manuel Escribano, will receive the mantle during the celebration. It will be formally presented by ACN Spain president Walter Plettemberg, national director José María Gallardo, and the foundation’s ecclesiastical assistant, Fr. Fernando Bielza.
According to ACN, the gesture links the foundation’s Marian patronage — traditionally associated with Our Lady of Fatima — with Spain’s most historic Marian shrine. The initiative seeks to highlight the Virgin’s maternal protection over Christians facing persecution and discrimination worldwide.
Pablo Rivero, regional head for northern Spain, described the moment as “highly significant” for ACN, noting that the foundation was consecrated to the Virgin of Fatima in 1967. He emphasized the enduring Marian dimension of the charity’s mission in support of suffering Christian communities.
Mother of persecuted Christians
The mantle has been produced by an embroidery workshop in Zaragoza with the collaboration of several religious sisters. It bears the ACN emblem, the title “Mother of persecuted Christians,” and a citation from the Book of Revelation: “The one who conquers, I will make a pillar firmly set.”
The Basilica’s collection includes more than 600 mantles, preserved in its sacristy. The statue of the Virgin is decorated with a different mantle each day, except on January 2 — commemorating the traditional date of the Marian apparition in Zaragoza — and October 12, the Feast of Our Lady of the Pillar, when the column itself remains visible.
Following the offering, a Mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated the same morning, presided over by Archbishop Escribano. The liturgy marks the conclusion of events commemorating 60 years of ACN’s presence in Spain.
The anniversary year began with a major Mass in Madrid on May 13, 2025, and has since included celebrations in dioceses such as Santander, Granada, Getafe, and Alcalá de Henares. These gatherings have aimed to give thanks for supporters and renew the foundation’s commitment to Christians living in conditions of persecution or extreme need.
Over six decades, ACN Spain has expanded to 27 offices and counts more than 27,000 active benefactors. The organization credits this network with sustaining pastoral and humanitarian projects in regions where the practice of the faith faces significant challenges.
