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‘Undocumented Virgin’: Guadalupe narrative crosses borders for new
understanding
Both the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times have in recentyears interviewed Lydia Lopez, an Episcopal lay leader from Pasadena,California, about why Christians of many denominations are increasinglyfinding meaning in the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe – whose traditionalfeast day is December 12. Indeed, artistic renderings of “La Morenita,” asthe Virgin is also known, are displayed in a growing number of churches,Episcopal included. While not all Mexican Anglicans share the same views
about the Virgin, she remains a symbol of cultural and religious
significance that reaches beyond Roman Catholic origins, says Lopez, who iscommunications associate in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and anhonorary canon of the Cathedral Center of St. Paul. To draw meaning from thestory of the Virgin is not to worry whether it is fact or legend, saysLopez. Following is Lopez’s reflection on the “Undocumented Virgin.”
In La Virgen, I see myself. I call her the first mestiza, the original
Chicana, and because she crosses so many borders I call her the undocumented virgin, the virgin of many immigrations.
Juan Diego tells us La Morenita is at the center of the Mexican soul. Would that this spiritual matriarchy were Mexico’s political and economic reality,but – alas – Guadalupe has yet to storm the halls of macho power.
In El Salvador, it was the radical Catholic laity that laid the ground work for the revolutionary movement of the 1970s and 1980s and in the process convinced key church authorities such as the martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero to resist the military dictatorship.
Cesar Chavez carried the Virgin of Guadalupe in front of his march for social justice for the farm worker. Again she led the way as warrior goddess.
What many fail to see is that the crisis in Mexico is the crisis in
California and vice versa. Mexicans are at the center of this whirlwind of history, agents of change. They are scorned on either side of the border.Chicanos and immigrants are treated like Indians in California while in Mexico the Indians are seen as stumbling blocks to the latest neo-liberal schemes: the Indians of Mexico are treated like the Chicanos or immigrants
of California.
wfn.org/2004/12/msg00090.html
And from the Tribune in Chicago: "this month, parishioners celebrated their first novena in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe by parading the 2-foot-high statue around the neighborhood, singing songs and reciting the rosary. About two dozen parishioners weathered the chill each night to deliver the statue to a different living room, where it was surrounded by garland, twinkling lights, roses and poinsettias.
On Sunday, parishioners will commence the traditional Feast Day for the Virgin of Guadalupe and, through prayers, mariachi music, drama and dancing, pay homage.
“The Virgin understands our suffering and she accompanies us everywhere we go,” said church member Oscar Hernandez, who grew up Roman Catholic in El Salvador but now considers himself a Methodist. “We don’t want to take away the faith that this community has, but we want to nourish it.”
But many Hispanic Methodist pastors object. Said Rev. Enrique Gonzalez, “It is against the fundamental doctrines of the Methodist church.”
understanding
Both the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times have in recentyears interviewed Lydia Lopez, an Episcopal lay leader from Pasadena,California, about why Christians of many denominations are increasinglyfinding meaning in the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe – whose traditionalfeast day is December 12. Indeed, artistic renderings of “La Morenita,” asthe Virgin is also known, are displayed in a growing number of churches,Episcopal included. While not all Mexican Anglicans share the same views
about the Virgin, she remains a symbol of cultural and religious
significance that reaches beyond Roman Catholic origins, says Lopez, who iscommunications associate in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and anhonorary canon of the Cathedral Center of St. Paul. To draw meaning from thestory of the Virgin is not to worry whether it is fact or legend, saysLopez. Following is Lopez’s reflection on the “Undocumented Virgin.”
In La Virgen, I see myself. I call her the first mestiza, the original
Chicana, and because she crosses so many borders I call her the undocumented virgin, the virgin of many immigrations.
Juan Diego tells us La Morenita is at the center of the Mexican soul. Would that this spiritual matriarchy were Mexico’s political and economic reality,but – alas – Guadalupe has yet to storm the halls of macho power.
In El Salvador, it was the radical Catholic laity that laid the ground work for the revolutionary movement of the 1970s and 1980s and in the process convinced key church authorities such as the martyred Archbishop Oscar Romero to resist the military dictatorship.
Cesar Chavez carried the Virgin of Guadalupe in front of his march for social justice for the farm worker. Again she led the way as warrior goddess.
What many fail to see is that the crisis in Mexico is the crisis in
California and vice versa. Mexicans are at the center of this whirlwind of history, agents of change. They are scorned on either side of the border.Chicanos and immigrants are treated like Indians in California while in Mexico the Indians are seen as stumbling blocks to the latest neo-liberal schemes: the Indians of Mexico are treated like the Chicanos or immigrants
of California.
wfn.org/2004/12/msg00090.html
And from the Tribune in Chicago: "this month, parishioners celebrated their first novena in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe by parading the 2-foot-high statue around the neighborhood, singing songs and reciting the rosary. About two dozen parishioners weathered the chill each night to deliver the statue to a different living room, where it was surrounded by garland, twinkling lights, roses and poinsettias.
On Sunday, parishioners will commence the traditional Feast Day for the Virgin of Guadalupe and, through prayers, mariachi music, drama and dancing, pay homage.
“The Virgin understands our suffering and she accompanies us everywhere we go,” said church member Oscar Hernandez, who grew up Roman Catholic in El Salvador but now considers himself a Methodist. “We don’t want to take away the faith that this community has, but we want to nourish it.”
But many Hispanic Methodist pastors object. Said Rev. Enrique Gonzalez, “It is against the fundamental doctrines of the Methodist church.”