Prince of Peace Parish will host a free celebration commemorating the Feast Day of Our Lady Guadalupe Saturday, Dec. 10.
“The Latino community venerates her in a special way, especially as she is the Patroness of Mexico,” said the Rev. Michael Sevigny, Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, the director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry in the Diocese of Portland. “This is an effort to unite the Latino community from all over the state and get to know one another. We are expecting people from all over Maine.”
The celebration will begin with the praying of the rosary at 11:30 a.m. at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, located on 122 Ash St. in Lewiston. A bilingual Mass (English/Spanish), celebrated by Bishop Robert Deeley, will follow at 12:15 p.m. and feature a procession with a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, flowers and candles. A special gathering with dances, food and fun activities for the whole family will be held in the hall of the basilica following the Mass. All are welcome.
“Especially for Mexicans, Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of the most revered figures in the Catholic Church,” said José Pérez, a Hispanic Ministry outreach coordinator. “She brings hope, happiness, faith, togetherness and commitment to Hispanics.”
Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared the “Queen of Mexico and Empress of the Americas” by Pope Pius XII in the 1940s. In 1531, the apparition of the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego, an Aztec Indian, in the hill of Tepeyac outside Mexico City. She asked him to tell the Bishop of Mexico City to build a church on the hill to assist in the conversion of the nation and to be a source of consolation for those in need. Roses appeared on the hill in the middle of the winter and were arranged by Our Lady on Juan Diego’s tilma, or cloak. A miraculous image of Our Lady also imprinted itself on the tilma. When he observed the tilma, the bishop fell to his knees and believed the message.
Each year, thousands of people make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City for the feast day, which is on Dec. 12.
For more information about the Office of Hispanic Ministry, contact the Reb. Michael Sevigny at (347) 752-3700, Sister Elsa Telón at (207) 618-2156, Rosario Starratt at (207) 312-4716 or José Pérez at (207) 653-5609. Or visit the office’s Facebook page at facebook.com/MaineHispanicCatholics.
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