La Virgen de Guadalupe

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puzzleannie

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Happy feast day, superceded by third Sunday of Advent, but celebrated none-the-less by las Mananitas, tamales, and a play put on by Spanish 1st communion class. Does your parish celebrate her feast and if so how.

Let me tell a story of how she sent roses to us again today. Elementary CCD retreat this morning 9-12:30, Jr. hi retreat from 1-5. We prepared for a posada, went to 5 oclock Mass together, and invited congregation to join us. As we traveled to each station we sang O come Emanuel and prayed the third Joyful mystery, ending in the hall for cookies & pinata. As I was lighting the lumenarias after communion time, the ladies came to bring two vases of huge red roses for tomorrow morning, and asked me to put them in Church. I said, can I borrow them first for 5 minutes? Sure.

I set them at the 2nd station, the Annunciation, Mary’s home. Pointed out the mini-miracle to our small cast. We had been disappointed by the meager turnout for the retreat, and small number of parishioners staying with us. That really brought to us the importance of what we were doing, and told us Mary is pleased with us for remembering her and her Son. After the “crowd” passed to the next station, Joseph’s house, I took the roses in to La Virgen’s altarcito, and thanked her fervently.
Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe! Viva Cristo Rey! Viva!
 
I thought that nobody else was doing ANYTHING for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

I taped the program on Univision last night that commemorated Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Also, today, my wife and I attended the Spanish Mass with the Latino community in Pittsburgh.

It was a BEAUTIFUL Mass. St. Hyacinth (San Jacinto) Church was packed full. There were several processions before the Mass began, including the flag of each country in the Western Hemisphere, and the parish’s statue of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. The homily was excellent (Maria is the first Christian! Maria is the first to be saved by Jesus Christ! Maria is the first Disciple of Our Lord Jesus Christ! Maria always points us towards her Son.) They hymns and responses were beautiful as well. A classical version of Ave Maria was sung. Afterwards there was a fellowship with lots of food. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

This week’s edition of Our Sunday Visitor has an article about Our Lady of Guadalupe and pointed out that there is a gaping chasm between Catholics in the United States and Hispanic Catholics in the United States. This chasm must be closed.
 
Our parish has a strong Hispanic presence. We had a beautiful celebration at 5am Sat. morning. Also, today just happened to be the day that that pastor and I go to a local prison. We had a full house for Mass and a tribute was sung in Spanish to Our Lady. Buenos dias, Paloma Blanca, hoy te vengo a saludar, saludando tu belleza en tu celestial. Eres Madre del Creador y a mi corazon encantas; gracias te doy con amor.

God bless
Deacon Tony SFO
 
La Virgen has a very special place in my heart…I’ve been blessed to visit the place of her appearance twice.

I didn’t visit the actual location of her appearance on either visit to the Basilica, but my family has rosaries from the gift shop there…and both times I lit votive candles and asked for her prayers.

She helped me come back to the church, and I believe she has led me, even when I was seperated from the Church…I remember, looking at her image, feeling distinctly that she knew I was there and welcomed my presence.

I remember upon my first visit that there was a wedding taking place…with various fathful in constant and shifting attendance. I decided then that I want to be married there…never mind that I’m from the U.S, never mind that although I speak Spanish I might not understand the Mass…and never mind that I don’t even now have a boyfriend or fiance. It was a beautiful place, and from my first visit on, I understood why she appeared in Mexico and not here in the US.

There is no way I can articulate this last feeling for those who have never been there.

God Bless!
 
My parish is ALL hispanic. And there was no mention of Our Lady at mass, because it was the 3rd sunday of advent. But when I was in youth group, many people were coming in and placing flowers by the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is an actual duplicate of the original. It was really nice.
 
Went to 7:30 Mass this Sunday morning. The Mass was said in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Half of the Mass was said in Spanish, other half in English. All songs were sung in Spanish accompanied by a wonderful Mariachi band. The procession into the church had the Mariachi band play and sing, followed by young girls dressed in beautifull colored dresses. After Mass the Cursillo community served tamales and sweet breads in the Parish Hall, and it was also announced that the girls would dance while breakfast was served. Everyone was invited. This celebration for Our Lady of Guadalupe is done each year as far as I can remember. Two other neighboring parishes were also celebrating this occasion in style. At one parish Mass started at 6:00 am.

Several ethnic groups are presented in this parish I attend. There’s the Italian Federation group and Middle Eastern group; and the Filipino Parishioners have their special celebration of Simbang Gabi, an Advent Mass of preparation and celebration at 7 pm, Saturday, Dec. 18, followed by a reception and fellowship.
 
Got up at 4 to get to hall in time to help set up for breakfast, Las Mananitas in Church, Father graciously said an additional early Mass at 6 (readings for 3rd Sunday Advent, but masterful sermon on the link between Nuestra Senoras appearance to Juan Diego, the Immaculate Conception and the Incarnation and the call to Rejoice we are given in the Introit today.

Her image, two dimensional on fabric, exact replica from photo of original bedecked in flowers, could not keep my eyes off of her. I cannot explain the effect she has on me, never saw a life-size replica until I came down here, where she is so intimately a part of all our pro-life evangelization, just that I love her so much.

He even made time before the next Mass to say grace and watch a little of the kid’s play about Juan Diego and the Lady of the Roses. I hear he likes chicken tamales, and took plate with him, odd because he is a vegetarian.

Surprise visit by mariachis and dancers from local high school. Lots of leftover food enjoyed by RCIA class at 10.

Cleaned up from RCIA and children’s LOW, just had time to go to Pizza Hut for a salad, full of band kids from area schools getting ready for Tuba Christmas at a local high school. almost 400 tubas and euphoniums playing Christmas carols for an hour and a half. Now Christmas has begun, how appropriate this happened on “Rejoice” Sunday.
 
It is good to see that other parishes commemorated the Feast Day of Our Lady.

Granted - this year it occurred on the third Sunday of Lent and Sunday liturgy always teakes precedence. Nevertheless, at the Mass we went to, the first reading and the Gospel were from the Feast Day of OLG. Padre Daniel seemed okay with it.

The significance of Our Lady of Guadalupe cannot be understated. At the time of Luther, Calvin and Henry VIII, the Mother of Our Lord appeared to Juan Diego and through her intercession, millions were brought into the Catholic faith. This is the work of discipleship. The Image on the tilma is one of discipleship and of love for the Indian people. It says so much without saying a word. I will, one day, make a pilgrammage to Mexico City, to the Basilica. I doubt if I could keep a dry eye inside the church.

I have an interest in the Church in Latin America. My wife is from Colombia. Latin America is seen by many fundamentalists, evangelicals, pentecostals, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses as fertile ground for conversion. We should do what we can, if even only to offer a prayer, for those who labor for the Church - in Latin America and all over the world.

*Santa Maria, Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros pecadores, ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte.
Amen.
*
 
I teach a CCD class to 5th graders on Sunday mornings. The day before this past Sunday I had planned to tell my students the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I was conducting the class as usual, but I had completely forgotten that I had planned to tell this story. During class, my director came in and presented me with a wrapped gift on behalf of our parish priest and the CCD directors. I thanked him very much and I set it down at my desk and said “I guess I’ll put this under my Christmas tree”. Well my students started chanting “open it, open it!” (They had no idea what it was and neither did I). Well, I opened it and it was a beautiful little statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe with St. Juan Diego kneeling before her with the roses in his tilma. I suddenly remembered that I had planned to tell my students the story. I told them the story and I was surprised that few of them had heard it before. I was really surprised because all my students are Hispanic and many have parents from Mexico. Anyway, I was happy that they finally learned the wonderful story of Our Lady of Guadalupe and I had a nice statue to illustrate the story even more fully.
 
I listened to EWTN lastnight and although I saw pictures taken of the eyes of the Virgin, ie: reflections in Marys eyes of Jaun Diego and otheres.
It was something else to hear people say that when a stethoscope is held up to the image, that some have heard the heartbeat of Jesus & also Mary.
Anyway it’s an amazing image, by all accounts that piece of cloth should be decayed by now, truly a miracle, and an example of proof, that some still don’t believe.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the unborn pray for us
 
My home parish is Our Lady of Guadalupe in Austin, TX.

This past Sunday we celebrated a special mass in honor of Our Lady. A Mariachi band serenaded Our Lady with “Las Mananitas” at 5:30AM, and played until 6:00AM when we had mass with Bishop Aymond presiding. The church was filled with roses.

We woke up at 3:30AM to get ready for the mass. I dropped my wife off in front of the church at 5:05AM to save us a seat, while I parked the car and changed our 6-month old son into his Juan Diego outfit. The church was filled to capicity. At least a thousand people were there. According to the priest, people started coming in at 3:30AM and by 4:30AM it was standing room only. About one hundred people or more had to stay outside the building while mass was conducted, because there was no room inside. My wife couldn’t even get in the church until mass already started! I would say devotion to Our Lady is alive and well here in Austin. The 10:00 Mass was packed as well.
 
About six mile from where I sit is the Bascillica de la Virgen de Guadalupe. It is in Pharr, Texas. It is a giant Church with a low-budget hotel for visitors year round. There is a very large Religious Store with spacious and beautiful grounds.

About forty years ago an airplane crashed into the roof of the old Bascilica. They built a new one with stone cutters imported from Italy. It is crowded year round.
 
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