Our reigning Miss Supranational, Valeria Vazquez Latorre, was given the honor of being invited to a very special mass in her honor back home in Puerto Rico. The mass took place in the Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of Saint John the Baptist in Old San Juan. It is the oldest cathedral in the United States and dates back to 1540.

Valeria described the experience and serene and special. “It was such an honor and a blessing to have a mass celebrated in my honor. The mass was beautiful and I received a medallion of Our Lady of Providence, who is declared the Patroness of Puerto Rico by Pope Paul VI. It was an absolutely wonderful morning and they wished me lots of blessings.”

“I had seen this cathedral many times but being invited there and witnessing first hand how beautiful it is, is something very special. You are awestruck when you look at every detail of it and even more so when you get to sit down for mass,” our queen continued.

Valeria’s parents also spoke about their feelings following her win:

Valeria’s Dad, Rafael Vazquez:

“I am super happy and proud of my daughter for winning the crown for Puerto Rico after so much hard work and sacrifice. Her humility makes her a winner and God blessed her with it.”

Valeria’s Mom, Maria Latorre:

“I am very happy and pleased with the achievements of Valeria during 2018. But to top it of, she won the crown of Miss Supranational 2018. What can a mother feel when she witnesses the great achievements of a daughter? The day of the final was a great moment of high emotions and immense joy, especially when the crown was placed on her head. She is a phenomenal daughter, dedicated, determined and very disciplined in everything that she does. It was not until almost the end that Valeria let me know that she was going to represent Puerto Rico in Miss Supranational. But I trusted her, as always, and she succeeded. I am so proud of her.”