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The feast of Saint Rocco is celebrated in all the churches on August 16th. In Montpellier, Rocco's native town, the feast,
which is preceded by a triduum of prayer, is celebrated with special pomp. During the morning of the great feast, there
are four or five Masses, one after the other, and the church where the relics are exposed for veneration by the faithful is
always full. In the afternoon, the crowd flows in again to participate in the recitation of the rosary and to hear a
panegyric of the saint, given each year by a renowned preacher. Then they follow the procession of the relics through all
the streets of the neighborhood. Finally, they attend Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Latin chants and popular
hymns keep up the spirits of the pilgrims who arrive by the hundreds from the town, the region and even from abroad. There
are many Italians - and even cars that have come from the peninsula on the way to Lourdes often stop at Montpellier to
honor the saint in the church of his native town, on days other than August 16th. |
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