Panama City, Panama. On August 22, 2019, the National Shrine of the Heart of Mary celebrated its 70 years of consecration.
On August 22, 1947, the first stone was laid by Monsignor Francisco Beckmann, C.M., Archbishop of Panama. Under the direction of Fathers Jesús Serrano and Manuel Prada, CMFF, construction began. Two years of intense work were necessary to complete the work.
The construction was carried out by engineers Emanuel Lyons, Giuseppe Josi and Henrique Arango, on the land donated by General Nicanor De Obarrio. The facade of the temple is adorned with a statue that perpetuates the solemn moment in which Pope Pius XII crowned the Virgin Mary as Queen of the World, with the consecration of the world to the Heart of Mary in the middle of World War II. In 1956, it was established as a parish.
The National Shrine of the Heart of Mary Parish is one of the temples with the greatest attendance of parishioners in Panama City. Nearly three thousand people attend the ten masses that the Claretian Missionaries officiate on Sundays, every hour, starting at 6:30 in the morning.
Its current Parish Priest is Fr. Samuel Cruz, CMF. Frs. Ismael Montero, Eladio Rodríguez, Jorge Aguilar, Freddy Ramírez, Manuel Sánchez and Eric Fernández, Rodolfo Morales, CMFF, are also part of the missionary community of the Shrine.
