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By Priscilla Greear
Staff Writer
DULUTH-Truly celebrating the patroness of all the Americas, Hispanics and
Anglo-Americans of St. Benedict's Church, Duluth, honored Our Lady of Guadalupe
together at a bilingual parish Mass Dec. 11.
Father Jaime Barona of Colombia, who heads St. Benedict's Hispanic ministry,
spoke on the importance of the bilingual liturgy.
"Our celebration is unique simply because not only Hispanics but Anglos
are getting together to rejoice in Our Lady's love for all of us. Our Lady of
Guadalupe has become important in the liturgy of the church in America. She has
become a part of the life of faith of this great country," he said of the
patroness of all the Americas, so designated by Pope Pius XII in 1945.
"For her there are no boundaries or frontiers. She has already spoken
the language of love and repentance to all."
The winter feast day Mass celebrated by Father Barona attracted about 500
Atlanta Catholics from the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Peru
and other countries. The colorful procession began as parishioners carried
candles and flags from the Latino world and a statue of Our Lady before which
children dropped fresh white roses from Colombia. A mariachi band sang songs
including "La Guadalupana," "La Virgin de Tepeyac" and
"Paloma Blanca," or "White Dove."
Juan Pérez of Mexico described the chords of hope Mary has struck
across his homeland. He said that following the fall of Mexico's Aztec Empire
in 1521, Mary helped to bring about the conversion of more than 9 million
Mexicans to Christianity in less than 20 years. He retold the story of Our
Lady's appearance to a poor Indian, Juan Diego, in 1531 on Tepeyac Hill outside
Mexico City and asked him to have the local bishop build a temple there to
honor her. She left her image on his tilma, a poor quality cactus cloth, which
convinced the bishop of the apparitions.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe was dedicated in 1709 and still holds
the mantle with Our Lady's image, having become the most popular religious
pilgrimage site in the Western Hemisphere. The tilma image has survived various
environmental hazards including flooding, fire and a basilica bombing in 1921.
Examined in 1977 by infrared photography and digital enhancement techniques,
the tilma shows no signs of sketching or outline used to produce a painting and
its method of production remains unknown.
"Every year more than 10 million people visit her at her church in
Mexico City making this the most popular Catholic shrine in the world next to
the Vatican," Pérez said. "His Holiness John Paul II calls
upon her as the Mother of the Americas. Filled with joy we celebrate the day of
Our Lady of Guadalupe."
While Mary in all her apparitions has shown love to the poor and destitute,
Father Barona said in his homily that her visit to Mexico is unique in that she
appeared to Indians as one of their own. They embraced her, he said, and
fervent Marian devotion now runs deep through Mexican blood.
"What makes this apparition at Tepeyac remarkable is the sense of
inculturation. For the first time Our Lady manifested herself as the people she
appeared (to). She is brown, she is Indian, she is simple. She is like the
original people of Mexico. But she comes with the radiance and splendor from
heaven," he said. "The Guadalupana, as she is called (by) the people
of Mexico, is intimately related to the history and life of every person in
Mexico ... She is related (to) the triumphs and failures, with the happiness
and sorrows of this great nation."
Yet more than a Mexican virgin, he said Mary's blanket of love has warmed
hearts across Latin America as she has inspired and protected its nations.
"In reality our countries are united in many things ... the land, the
past, the language, the Christian faith and, in a very special manner, the
devotion to Mary."
He then reminded all Latinos and "Norte Americanos" of her simple
purpose, to lead them to the Lord.
"We have to live our lives with the example of Mary, the Guadalupana.
This example is the profound desire to be faithful to God's grace and love for
humanity, to become laborers of this kingdom Jesus has come to establish ... to
allow others to come to Christ through the intercession of Our Lady."
Mauro Machado of Ecuador and his Peruvian wife, María Elena, and
family, parishioners at St. Jude the Apostle Church, Atlanta, sang with guitar
accompaniment "Señora del Tepeyac" to close the service.
The celebration continued following the Mass as those gathered joined in a
midday multicultural fiesta presented by Grupo Cultura and aired on Spanish
radio. The celebration featured dance groups performing traditional dances from
Mexico, Cuba, Colombia and several other Latin American nations.
Teresa Esquivel of Mexico grew up honoring Our Lady, which she explained
means "river of love" in an Indian dialect. Wearing Mexican Indian
dress, the St. Benedict's parishioner said that the feast day in her homeland
is an important event during which no one works and deeply blends culture and
religion.
"The most important feast of all is the 12 of December, the devotion of
Our Lady of Guadalupe. You can find nearly in one out of two families somebody
named Guadalupe," she said. "You'll find the Our Lady of Guadalupe
everywhere. Even people who aren't Catholic, they celebrate her all over our
country."
Esquivel admires the humility of Our Lady who has brought many miracles to
her family. She told how her son at four months had a concussion and doctors
said he would be blind. Her prayers were answered after begging for the
intercession of Mary to protect his vision from harm.
For Felix Bigles, a St. Benedict's parishioner and Puerto Rican native, the
event was a time for community.
"I think that it's a great way of bringing all the different Latin
American people together but in my opinion, more importantly, it's a way of
bringing the Anglo people and the Hispanic people together and, really, we have
more in common than we think," he said.
Denise Belancik and her family were some of St. Benedict's Anglo-American
parishioners who attended the celebration.
"I want my family to experience other cultures, as well, and to grow in
our love of Our Lady," she said, adding that it was great to see the deep
adoration Hispanics have for her.
"She's really very important to us. She's the mother of Our Lord.
Without her we wouldn't have Jesus" and the Guadalupe Mass is simply
another way to honor her.
Mauro Machado said Ecuador has a devotion to Mary under the title
"Virgin of Quinche," yet he only developed a faith in Christ and
devotion to Our Lady after he came to the United States and began reciting the
rosary. He then learned through the prayer that "she helps you. When I
pray the rosary I meditate (and) I can see better the Lord is always with
me" and the divinity of Christ.
He said that the Guadalupe Mass was simply an expression of love.
"It's good to speak and pull out what is inside-the love of the
world."
Father Barona later expressed gratitude for the Anglo-American presence at
the Mass.
"It's important for us to know each other's cultural differences, our
faith traditions ... We are one body in Christ. That's what makes it so
wonderful to be Catholic," he said. "It's important for them to
understand (Guadalupe) because she is the patroness of the Americas and it's
important for Hispanics to understand the Anglo culture."
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