World News
Guadalupe procession, Mass in Los Angeles honor 'mother of our roots'
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LOS ANGELES (CNS) -- Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez Dec. 4 urged a crowd of 25,000 people from throughout the archdiocese to immerse themselves in a deeper conversion and to view and help each other as brothers and sisters of the "familia de Dios" (family of God). "The beautiful woman of Tepeyac is Jesus' mother and she is also our mother. She is the mother of the Americas and mother of all the people," Archbishop Gomez said during his homily at Mass following the 80th annual procession in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe in East Los Angeles. "She is the 'Mother of Our Roots,'" he said, translating this year's theme, "Madre de Nuestras Raices." As has been traditional for the past eight decades, parish groups, decorated floats, equestrians and indigenous dancers escorted the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe in a two-mile walk that ended at East Los Angeles College Stadium, where they gathered for the Mass at which Archbishop Gomez presided. Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, who is the retired archbishop of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishops Gerald E. Wilkerson and Alexander Salazar and more than 20 priests concelebrated. Accompanied by mariachis, people chanted "Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe! Viva San Juan Diego! Viva la Virgen de las Americas!" during the oldest religious procession in Los Angeles that recalls Mary appearing to St. Juan Diego 480 years ago at Tepeyac Hill, in what is now the northern part of Mexico City. "We are so excited to be here," said Humberto Turckheim, a parishioner of Precious Blood Church in Los Angeles who was dressed as St. Juan Diego.
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