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By Priscilla Greear, Staff Writer
ALPHARETTA—Just as Blessed Juan Diego carried roses and
Mary’s message of hope to the local Mexican bishop in 1531, Father
Jesús David Trujillo challenged the faithful at a Mass honoring Our Lady
of Guadalupe to let Mary’s obedient example guide them and let their faith
bloom.
The bilingual Mass, attracting an overflow crowd of about 800, was
held Dec. 12 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Alpharetta, which serves about 4,000
families, roughly a third of whom are Hispanic. Archbishop John F. Donoghue
presided at the Mass, which was concelebrated by the pastor, Father Al Jowdy,
Father Trujillo, Father Thomas Murphy and Father Dan Fleming.
Father Trujillo told the predominantly Hispanic congregation that
devotion to Mary is a common, multicolored thread woven across diverse cultures
in Latin America that helps to unite them and form a spiritual quilt of
Christian faithfulness.
“Our Lady of Guadalupe does not belong only to the Mexican
people; she is the soul of every Latin American country. To her sanctuary
millions of people of all origins are attracted by her motherly love,”
said Father Trujillo, who is from Colombia. “To us all, she is not only
our spiritual mother because she is the mother of the church and the one
bearing Christ in her womb, but she is also mother of our countries because she
inspired and protected the birth of our countries. In reality, many things
unite us: the land, our common past, the language, the Christian faith and, in
a very special way, the devotion to Mary.”
The Mass and fiesta were the culmination of a marathon of Marian
activities. They began the previous night with a rosary and serenade to Mary
with dancing, prayers, roses and poetry. That morning parishioners had 5 a.m.
“mañanitas,” which involve a mariachi band and indigenous
dances, and Mass followed by a day-long cultural exposition of items like
pottery, flags and crafts from Latin countries represented at the parish.
Preceding the evening Mass, parishioners, including children, clad
in Indian attire of headdresses with peacock feathers and shiny purple
“tilmas,” or cloaks, with gold sequins, danced through the church
aisles while rattling gourds. They carried to the altar an icon of Our Lady.
The Spanish choir led the music with traditional songs like “Alegrate
Maria.”
In his homily Father Trujillo said that each Latin American nation
honors Mary with a title that through time has become a symbol for the country,
and that Guadalupe is that symbol for the Mexican culture and identity and is
ingrained in its history. He spoke of the pre-apparition days of the tradition
when Spanish “conquistas” with Christian faith and love of Mary came
to Mexico and defeated the Aztec Empire in 1521. Indians easily developed a
devotion to Mary through which “they found the hope and comfort they
needed to deal with the abusive life they lived in” and less than 20 years
later 9 million of the inhabitants of the land, who professed for centuries a
polytheistic and human sacrificing religion, were converted to Christianity.
Mary appeared to a simple Indian Juan Diego in 1531 on Tepeyac
Hill outside Mexico City. He relayed her message to the local bishop to build a
temple in her honor on the spot of the apparitions. Following Mary’s
instructions Juan Diego carried in his tilma, made of poor quality cactus
cloth, roses from Tepeyac Hill and the image of Mary mysteriously appeared on
the cloth, which convinced the bishop of the apparitions.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City was dedicated
in 1709 and still holds the mantle with Our Lady’s image which shows no
signs of decay, having become the most popular religious pilgrimage site in the
Western Hemisphere attracting an estimated 10 million yearly. The 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, it shows no signs of sketching or outline used to
produce a painting and its method of production remains unknown.
Twenty-four popes have officially honored Guadalupe and Pope John
Paul II has visited the basilica three times, declaring Dec. 12 a feast day for
all the Americas on his 1999 trip.
Father Trujillo spoke of the rich variety of devotions to Mary
from Our Lady of Altagracia in the Dominican Republic to Chiquinquirá in
Colombia. “Today let us strengthen our ties of faith and love, ties that
unite us to Mary, the mother of God. She has built her house on earth, she
lives in our people, in our sanctuaries and churches just like lighthouses on
the seashore to guide us and protect us. Mary is like those towers in the
churches that point to heaven; she guides us to her son, Christ, the way, the
truth and the life.”
In Mexico, as elsewhere, La Guadalupana is a sign of hope and
liberty. “Mary is present in the triumphant and glorious times of the
Mexican people as well as in the sorrowful and unhappy times they suffered with
natural disasters, fights, persecutions and politics,” he said. “As a
symbol of our Christian faith, Mary is an example of obedience and
faithfulness; helping in the redemption of our countries from poverty and
injustice; strength in moments of trouble when we are at the bottom of the
cross; committed to faith and surrender to Jesus Christ ... If we have her in
our hearts we will have her son, Jesus, too.”
In closing remarks Archbishop Donoghue said that Mary’s
Guadalupe apparition was one of God’s greatest gifts to the Western
Hemisphere and that since then she has shown her love often to all the
Americas. “On this occasion, this Mass honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe, let
us ... thank Our Lady for the blessings she has shown her people in the
Archdiocese of Atlanta, and for her many displaced sons and daughters she has
led here to Georgia, where they have found new homes—for the many talents
and special gifts that her Latin and Hispanic children have brought into the
spiritual and cultural treasuries of our local Church.”
Afterwards worshippers enjoyed a meal of tamales, taquitos,
frijoles and “three-milks” Mexican cake cut by women wearing T-shirts
reading “Reina de Mexico.” Participants watched a reenactment of the
apparitions and folkloric dancing to Mexican music.
Carmen Desmelik, Hispanic director of religious education and
30-year member of the parish, said that the Guadalupe celebration has grown
there along with the Hispanic ministry. Hispanics began meeting in 1993 in a
Roswell apartment complex, where Father Jowdy, who is bilingual, began
baptizing babies and holding Masses for about 10 people. In 1996 the growing
ministry moved to the parish where it began holding the current large-scale
celebration.
The ministry, which largely serves Mexicans but also immigrants
from Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Honduras and Puerto Rico, now includes a
youth group, adult education and a school of religion, which has grown from
about 40 children to 400 in five years. The parish also has various bilingual
services. A Latino rosary group honors the Virgin year-round by meeting weekly
and praying in members’ apartments before her image.
Mexican immigrant Idalia Garcia, who with her husband performed
Indian dances and wore a cloak with a sparkly image of Mary, was glad to carry
on the Mexican celebration in Georgia with music, dancing and praise.
“It means to me that I am in union with all my people in
Mexico and South and Central America. It’s not just Mexican people.
It’s all Americans,” she said.
While she has a close relationship with Jesus “the Blessed
Mother has a special place in my heart. She’s my mother. I don’t
adore her. I venerate her ... I know the power of giving birth to a child. She
suffered more than a pregnant mother giving birth when she saw her son die. I
am her daughter because she labored for me at the cross. She was there when her
son was dying. She was giving birth for all of us, for us to have new
life.”
Arthur Lerma, a 16-year-old of Mexican descent, was attending his
first Guadalupe Mass with his mother, Carmen.
“Not ever having lived in Mexico it’s kind of like
I’m realizing my roots,” said Arthur, who is in honors Spanish IV and
occasionally attends Spanish Mass. “I feel that I owe it to my heritage to
learn the language so I do whatever I can. I like the people here. (They) have
a strong sense of community and it feels like they know why they’re here.
They feel very, very proud of their heritage. It kind of gives you a little
boost when you’re around people that know what they believe in.”
He added that Mary is a “big part of” his faith and that
praying the rosary slowly and contemplatively is powerful. “I see it as a
big tool of prayer to grow stronger in my faith and I feel more secure.”
Parish bookkeeper Dorothy Gallagher was also glad to share in the
celebration. “I enjoy celebrating this Spanish feast. It’s very
vibrant and there’s a lot of symbolism and I feel we benefit. I benefit
and I believe my community benefits.”
Gallagher said that she tries to “capture some of Mary’s
graces” and that she helps her in her vocation.
“I’m married and I have a family. I think Mary has given
that to me,” she said. “She’s not my only connection with
bringing me to God, but she is a guide or a mother.”
Father Trujillo, who coordinated the event’s festivities with
the help of many, was running on only a few hours sleep. He said that the 5
a.m. mañanitas weren’t early enough for some.
“I learn a lot from these people, from the Mexican people,
about the faith. How faithful they are is incredible. They express their faith.
It was 1:30 a.m. I was here and many people were saying, ‘Father,
we’re going to pray for Our Lady of Guadalupe,’” he said.
“This morning we had almost 1,700 people for the mañanitas and you
can see the parish is full tonight.”
He was grateful for the Anglo turnout. “We are very happy for
that because when I was ordained a deacon I said I would like to be a priest
between both communities. I feel wonderful for that. The people, they’re
coming. The people are very, very open to seeing the Hispanic community;
especially, Father Al is great with the Hispanic community ... I feel very good
when I see many, many Anglo people because they show us how they love us too.
They want to create only one church.”
And Mary is hailed long after Dec. 12. “During the offering
many of them bring pictures of Our Lady to bless them. When I visit these
people at home they have an altar at home. Children, too, when they were
dancing they dressed in the same costumes like the adults. (Parents) educate
... the children about Our Lady of Guadalupe. The tradition about Guadalupe is
growing more and more.”
Father Trujillo grew up honoring La Guadalupana, who is the
patroness of his hometown, but the Chiquinquirá devotion in Colombia is
smaller than in Mexico. At the parish he has learned many new Mexican-Spanish
words and about Mexican devotion. “On two occasions I went to the basilica
and Tepeyac Hill (and) saw many people there from different countries visiting
and praying ... And the people, they show and express how they love the Mother
of God and how the Mother of God loves them too.” |
