Honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe as One Parish Family

When our Associate Pastor Fr. Juan Ramirez looks back at his childhood, he remembers the prominent, influential role that the Blessed Mother had in his culture.

“I am from Mexico, and when I was growing up, I remember Our Lady of Guadalupe was always there for us,” he says. “Our Lady of Guadalupe revealed herself to the indigenous people of Mexico, and therefore her role as a spiritual mother to us is so important. We really see her as our interceding mother, always willing to bring us closer to Christ.”

Now that he has come to the United States, he still cherishes Our Lady of Guadalupe and unites his heart to all of those who do so as well.

“The motherhood of Our Lady of Guadalupe is something that is so important to Mexicans as well as to Hispanics in general,” Fr. Ramirez says. “In order to honor her, we celebrate her feast day on Dec. 12 in a very special way. It is essential to carry on this devotion in America as well — it is not just for those who live in Mexico. St. John Paul II named Our Lady of Guadalupe patroness of the Americas. This is significant because we need to realize that she is not just for Mexicans, but also for all of those who live on this continent.”

As a sincere priest of God, he is grateful for the opportunity to make the beauty of this meaningful devotion alive in the midst of our parish family through our annual Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration, which will take place this year on Sunday, Dec. 12. Normally, the celebration opens with a 10 a.m. bilingual Mass, meant to replace the 9 and 11:15 a.m. Masses. After Mass, there is a celebration in the school gym that features traditional Hispanic food and Mariachi band music. At times, there are dancers that perform Aztec dancing as people dine. The food and flowers for the celebration are generously donated by various Hispanic and non-Hispanic parishioners. The setup, serving of the meal, and cleanup are done by the Hispanic members of the Christ Renews His Parish group.

“It is a great time of fellowship, as well as an opportunity to come together as a community and have a good time sharing our faith, gifts, and talents,” Fr. Ramirez says.

This year, the Hispanic Ministry of our diocese has graciously purchased an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe from the basilica in Mexico. On Dec. 11, Most Rev. Bishop Joseph Siegel will bless the image and place it by the main altar at St. Benedict Cathedral.

All parishioners are more than welcome to attend this year’s celebration.

“We see it as an opportunity for the Anglos and the Hispanics to come together to celebrate the Mass, our Catholic faith, and Our Lady of Guadalupe,” Fr. Ramirez says. “We need to embrace her together because she brought us God’s message, as brothers and sisters. I encourage everyone, Hispanics and non-Hispanics, to come and check it out. Everyone is welcome!”

Our community gathered to celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The Our Lady of Hope community shared in a wonderful celebration.

All parishioners are more than welcome to attend this year’s celebration.