«Vuélvenos, Madre, a la salvación»: Nace un nuevo himno a la Virgen del Carmen en el centenario de la coronación de la patrona de Chile

Composer and organist Julio Garrido Letelier premiered a new hymn dedicated to the Virgin of Carmen on Friday, September 18, during the Te Deum at the Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral. The piece, titled Estrella de Chile, was released to mark the centenary of the coronation of the Virgin of Carmen as the Queen and Patroness of Chile.

The composition won a contest organized by the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and the Cabildo Metropolitano de Santiago as part of the Cultura Migrante: Música, Arquitectura e Historia de la Catedral de Santiago project. The competition required a choral work that could be performed either a cappella or accompanied by an organ or string orchestra.

Garrido Letelier told InfoVaticana that he did not initially realize the historical connection his work would have with the centenary. He stated that being selected for the composition felt like a gift from the Virgin and Jesus. The lyrics of the hymn address the Rosary, the scapular, holiness, salvation, and the Christian vocation of the nation, presenting the Virgin as a queen who leads people to Christ.