Parishioners from Resurrection Parish celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Sunday, Dec. 12. The service began at four in the morning when church members gathered to pray the rosary. 

Honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe

In a report with The Florida Catholic, the parishioners sang the traditional Las Mañanitas. 

Orlando Bishop John Noonan celebrated the Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Around 500 parishioners attended the service. The Mass took place at Misión Guadalupana, a mission church in Wahneta. 

Mary Leads the Way to Christ

The bishop concelebrated the Mass with Father Luis Osorio, the mission's administrator. Most of those who attended the service had Mexican heritage. The parishioners wore traditional costumes and brought their statues of Our Lady to be blessed by the priests. 

Bishop Noonan addressed the congregants, saying that Our Lady gave Juan Diego a message of hope. He added that Mary helped the patron saint of the Americas to know Christ. 

The bishop pointed out that Mary's message remains true today. He said that Mary called the faithful to know, love, and serve her Son. 

Back to Tradition

Hundreds of parishioners from different parishes gathered in six locations in the Diocese. They gathered for the pilgrimage known as Carvana Guadalupana. 

According to the news outlet, COVID-19 restrictions prevented the parishioners from celebrating last year. Lisette Saint-Hilaire said that she and her "Guadalupe staff" could not follow tradition in 2020. 

She explained that one of these traditions was re-enacting the apparition scenes in Tepeyac at Lake Eola. The staff met at one parish last year. 

Saint-Hilaire told the news outlet that they wanted to be more ambitious this year. She added that all parishes in the Diocese were invited to join them. Around 11 parishes made their own floats and paraded around their neighborhood. 

Keeping up With Tradition

Two Holy Cross parishioners joined the celebration for the first time. Lorena Lopez and her husband, Guionny, said that the event was much like that in their hometown of Jamundi, Colombia. 

Lorena added that her mother was also celebrating the event in Colombia. She stopped to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, the final stop in the caravan. 

She told the news outlet that it was a beautiful and satisfying feeling to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe. 

Miracle at Guadalupe

According to Vatican News, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego in 1531. She introduced herself as the Mother of God. 

She instructed the saint that she wanted a shrine built on the hill where she stood. The Blessed Virgin told Juan that the Shrine would show her love and compassion to the faithful. 

Juan Diego visited the Archbishop of Mexico City. Archbishop Juan de Zumarraga dismissed his case, thinking Juan to be a mad man. He asked the peasant for proof of his story and the Lady's identity. 

When Juan Diego encountered Mary again, she instructed him to climb up the hill and pick some roses to present to Zumarraga. 

Although it was winter at that time, Juan found the flowers. Mary placed them on his cloak. He presented the roses to the Archbishop. 

The roses are Castilian roses, which are not native to Mexico. 

An image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was also imprinted on Juan's cloak. 

The Archbishop had the Shrine built on the hill. Pope John Paul II beatified Juan Diego. In the year 2000, he was declared a Saint. 

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