Bishop Solis celebrates Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Cathedral of the Madeleine
SALT LAKE CITY — As the cold temperatures settled in and the stars in the dark night sky shone brighter, hundreds of faithful Catholics from all over the Diocese of Salt Lake City flooded the Cathedral of the Madeleine to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Every year in the diocese some parishes and missions begin the celebrations of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 11 and keep them going until the end of Dec. 12, which is Our Lady’s feast day.
The festivities at the cathedral began with a rosary with the children in the catechism classes, followed by mariachi music, a reenactment of the Virgin’s apparitions to San Juan Diego, a procession, more music and Mass.
Bishop Oscar A. Solis presided at the Mass. Concelebrating were Father Martin Diaz, the cathedral’s rector, and Fr. Jaya Penugonda, parochial vicar. Deacon Guillermo Mendez assisted.
“This is a very special night where we gather in this beautiful cathedral to honor our Holy Mother, who is the patroness not only of Mexico but of the Americas,” Bishop Solis said at the beginning of his homily.
They were present that night to honor and celebrate the Virgin with prayers and music, “as children of the Mother of God,” he said, adding, “It is very beautiful to gather here tonight.”
In today’s world newscasts are filled with bad news, and people tend to feel sad and worried, he said. “We are worried about what is going on in our world, in our country, in our personal life. … There is a lot of miseries, wars, deaths of many due to violence, to extreme poverty, to the resettlement of refugees and migrants and natural calamities and other injustices. … We see many walking on the streets, with no shelter suffering from the cold and hunger.”
Some people also are facing problems in their marriages, are losing their jobs or are abandoned by their loved ones, he said.
“People start losing their faith. … Our Lady of Guadalupe has a very special message for all: ‘God is our hope and our peace,’” the bishop said.
Reflecting on the reading for the day, about the Lady who appeared from heaven, he said, “She gave life to a son as a signal of our salvation.”
The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe began in 1531 near what is now Mexico City. One Saturday morning a poor Indian named Cuauhtlatohuac, who had been baptized and given the name Juan Diego, was walking from his small village to a nearby barrio to attend Mass in honor of Our Lady. Passing Tepeyac hill, he heard beautiful music and Our Lady appeared to him in a radiant cloud. Speaking in his own language, she sent Juan to the bishop of Mexico, instructing him to build a chapel in the place where she had appeared.
Not believing Juan’s story, the bishop told him to have the Lady give him a sign. Because Juan’s uncle was seriously ill, Juan tried to avoid the Lady, but she found him, said that his uncle would recover, and gave him some roses to carry to the bishop in his cloak, known as a tilma.
On Dec. 12, when Juan opened his tilma in the bishop’s presence, the roses fell to the ground, and on the tilma was an image of Mary exactly as she had appeared to Juan Diego at Tepeyac.
“Brothers and sisters, in 1531 God’s plan was revealed to San Juan Diego,” Bishop Solis said. “Our Lady’s apparition converted thousands to the Catholic faith and keeps doing that to this day. This happened in one of the darkest times in Mexico. Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared as a loving mother; she reminds us that God never abandons his children.”
Miracles continue to happen through Our Lady’s intercession, he said, asking those present to remember “there is always hope. … Let’s not also forget that [Our Lady] is sending us to be ambassadors of love in the world. She wants us to build a church in our hearts and in our homes so we can manifest the loving presence of God among us.”
In his message for this year’s feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pope Francis said, “To celebrate Mary is to celebrate the closeness and tenderness of God who meets his people, who does not leave us alone, who has given us a mother who cares for us and accompanies us.”
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