For years Helen Dickey, a parishioner of St. Thomas á Becket Church
in Reston, has combined her devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe with her love of
art in the form of a beloved puppet production.
Dickey’s devotion to Our Lady began shortly after the birth of
her first child. She happened to read the story in a children’s book and was
struck by the story of “heavenly art.” Dickey took the story as a sign that she
should cultivate her passion for art.
She was inspired to start the puppet show to raise funds for crisis
pregnancy centers. The first show she produced was of the Nativity. She then
decided to create a show based on her favorite story.
“I started with Juan Diego and then saved Mary for last,” said
Dickey. “As the years went by, I added something every year to make it look
better and be better.”
Over the past 20 years, the production has grown from a small-scale
single person play to a multi person production with a huge stage.
Helen’s daughter Esther has helped with the show since she was 4.
Now at 17, Esther and her friends manage the puppets.
“I love the story and I always have a wonderful time doing this
play,” said Esther. “It’s a lot of work but a lot of fun.”
As snow began to fall Saturday afternoon, a dozen families from
Dickey’s homeschool group gathered in the church hall to watch the two-foot-tall
marionettes bring Juan Diego’s vision on Tepeyac Hill to life.
For the Jeanette Murphy and her family, it’s the one event they
do every year during Advent. It’s a big hit with her five kids who start asking
about the show weeks in advance.
“I find that it fills me up during the season when we are so
busy,” said Murphy. “There is something about this story that really speaks to
me. It jump-started the spread of the faith on this side of the world.”
