Our Lady of Guadalupe has been chosen as the patron saint of the annual Mass for Life.
At noon, Sunday, Jan. 17 the diocesan Respect Life Office will host the Mass with Bishop Anthony B. Taylor at the Statehouse Convention Center ballroom. Starting this year a 12-foot-by-24-foot banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe will serve as a backdrop behind the altar.
The diocese commissioned the banner made of tulle through the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford, Conn. The saint was painted on the material by a team of artists at the St. Volodymyr Fund Family Center in the Ukraine. It cost $2,300, which has partially been paid for through donations.
“Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of the unborn, she is the patron of the Western Hemisphere, and she has special meaning for the Hispanic community, which is about half the Catholic population in Arkansas,” said Marianne Linane, respect life director.
Linane said she has learned a lot about the saint that appeared to St. Juan Diego in 1531, and she hopes more Catholics will study about her.
“The symbolism behind it is remarkable,” Linane said. “The more I read about it, the more I am impressed with the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Juan Diego.”
The new banner replaces one of Mary Mother of God, also painted in the Ukraine and commissioned by the diocese in 2001.
Also on display at the Mass will one of three official computer-generated images of the saint from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico where the original is venerated. St. Mary Church in St. Vincent brought the image to Arkansas. It will travel to several parishes through Jan. 25.
The Mass for Life begins at 11 a.m. with adoration followed by the Rosary for Life at 11:15 a.m. Anyone who lost a child is invited to sign the Book of Innocents and present a red rose during the offertory.
In preparation for the Mass, Eucharistic adoration will be held from 6:30 p.m. Jan. 16 to 8:30 a.m. Jan. 17 at the Cathedral of St. Andrew.
The 32nd March for Life from Capitol and Louisiana streets to the State Capitol will begin at 2 p.m. On the Capitol steps, several women will give personal testimonies of the lives following abortion and their recovery through Project Rachel and other post-abortion programs.
