When the Virgin Mary appeared to an Indian peasant named Juan
Diego in 1531, she provided him with roses in the dead of
winter to bring to the local bishop. To honor her Dec. 12
feast day, the Hispanic community of Holy Family Church in
Dale City brought more than 600 roses to the Our Lady of
Guadalupe shrine in their sanctuary.
The Saturday evening Mass was overflowing with people, some
in traditional, colorful Mexican garb, some carrying statues
or paintings of the image left on Juan Diego’s tilma after
the miraculous roses had fallen out. One infant even sported
a handmade Our Lady of Guadalupe cape. The space was filled
with the powerful scent of roses, and as the Mass began, the
smell of incense.
A mariachi band playing guitar and trumpet provided the music
for the Mass. Men and women of all ages sang and clapped
along enthusiastically. It was the first time social ministry
director Matty Lupo had been to the parish celebration. “I
was touched when the mariachi started. It reminds of when I
was little and when I was back home (in Guatemala),” she
said.
After Mass, parishioners gathered in the parish hall for hot
chocolate, sweet bread, pupusas and tamales. Another shrine
to Our Lady of Guadalupe was set up there featuring flags
from several Latin American countries with the Vatican flag
in the center. Parishioner Felix Flores and several other
volunteers set up both shrines so that Holy Family students
could have a celebration there during the week.
The preparation for the feast day was a labor of love for the
Mother of God, they said. “We were here at midnight singing a
song to the Virgin, putting ice cubes in the flowers (to keep
them fresh),” said Flores. The love for the Virgin of
Guadalupe is a unifying bond for Latin American Catholics.
Celebrations like these are a way to honor Our Lady for
Hispanic men and women who cannot make the pilgrimage to
Mexico. “Everyone believes in Guadalupe,” said Lupo.
Di Mauro can be reached at [email protected] or on
Twitter
@zoeydimauro.
