Thousands of Catholic faithful from diverse ethnic communities will gather to honor the Virgin of Guadalupe at the oldest religious procession in Los Angeles Dec. 4.
The 80th annual Procession and Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe will begins at 11 a.m., starting at the corner of Cesar Chavez Avenue and Ford Boulevard in East Los Angeles. Following the procession, Archbishop José Gomez, the auxiliary bishops of Los Angeles and participating clergy will celebrate Mass at East Los Angeles College Stadium.
Parish groups from different ethnic communities within the Archdiocese, decorated floats and indigenous dancers will escort the Peregrina (“Pilgrim”) Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and an Image of St. Juan Diego at the Procession. The Mass following the procession will feature mariachis, bandas, dances, hymns and poems typical of celebrations in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
The annual celebration recalls the miraculous apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Saint Juan Diego at Tepeyac, Mexico, in December 1531, when she left her image on his “tilma” or cloak. For 480 years, her image has been a symbol of unity, peace, compassion and hope for people around the world.
In the month prior to the celebration, the pilgrim images of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego have visited parishes throughout the archdiocese. The Peregrina Image is a blessed digital reproduction of the original Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe brought to Los Angeles from the Basilica in Mexico City.
For more information on the events, call Resurrection Church at (323) 268-1141.
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