ROGERS -— Jesus Gomez had a busy week as he prepared for the procession -— a new addition to the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe feast day at St. Vincent de Paul Church Friday, Dec. 12.
As organizer of this procession, Gomez’ Ministry of Theater had been working with various Hispanic groups in the parish for the past six weeks to make it a memorable event.
The idea of the procession came as a suggestion from Father Salvador Vega-Alvarenga, associate pastor at St. Vincent de Paul Church. Father Vega, originally from El Salvador, encouraged the groups to add the procession to the celebration as “a way to come together to express our faith.” Traditionally, a procession is a part of celebrations in Spanish-speaking countries.
Speaking through a translator in an earlier interview, Father Vega said, “It is a chance for the whole community to come together, to unite. The image of Our Lady, the patroness of all the Americas, crosses all language barriers. It is a good idea because we have a large Hispanic population, and it is also a positive way to include the Anglo community and not lose the Hispanic tradition either. As Catholics we should not be afraid to express our faith publicly.”
An estimated 1,000 people participated in the one-and-a-half mile procession that took place in a nearby neighborhood before the evening Mass in the church. With a police escort to guide the procession and to direct traffic, people walked, carrying banners of Our Lady of Guadalupe as well as state and national flags.
A highlight of the procession was the colorful Aztec dance group with elaborate headdresses and costumes. Both young men and women are members of the popular dance group, directed by Soledad Hernandez.
Following the Aztec dancers, the first float represented the images of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the hills of Tepeyac with St. Juan Diego, constructed by Fuerza Transformadora.
Dressed in brown and white native costumes, a second group of young women dancers, directed by Osvaldo Perez, performed the pilgrim dance during the procession.
Another float, constructed by the Hispanic prayer group, was a representation of the Virgin Mary’s miracle -— the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe imprinted on Juan Diego’s tilma -— as a symbol of Mary’s presence and her concern for the people of Mexico.
Throughout the procession, under the direction of Samuel and Maria Albarran, musicians played on guitar, accordion and saxophone traditional songs associated with this feast day,
At the conclusion of the procession, an estimated 1,800 people gathered in church to celebrate Mass. Others had assembled earlier; some with bouquets of flowers approached the tapestry of Our Lady of Guadalupe displayed prominently at the side of the main altar. Banks of red and white flowers sat on shelves below the tapestry. Inside the church, a choir and musicians, playing on a variety of instruments — violins, flute, bass, xylophone, clarinets, trumpets — performed traditional songs of the feast day.
Pastor Msgr. David LeSieur and Father Vega concelebrated the evening Mass. In his homily, Msgr. LeSieur, describing St. Juan Diego as a humble man, said that Mary’s appearance to St. Juan Diego was to bring hope to him and his people.
“The beautiful solemnity of this feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of all people of the Americas, reminds us that all of us in some way are poor, in some way we are needy,” he said.
