Celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe around the diocese

Intermountain Catholic

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Bishop John C. Wester will celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Cathedral of the Madeleine on Dec. 11. IC file photo

SALT LAKE CITY — Since 1531, when Juan Diego saw an apparition of a young girl who later revealed herself to be the Mother of God at the Hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City, the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe has become a worldwide celebration.

The Virgin of Guadalupe has been acclaimed as "Queen of Mexico," "Patroness of the Americas," "Empress of Latin America," and "Protector of Unborn Children" (the latter three titles were given by Pope John Paul II in 1999). The Virgin was also proclaimed "Heavenly Patroness of the Philippines" in 1935, a designation revised by Pope Pius XII in 1942.

This year in Utah, many parishes will be honoring Our Lady with different festivities.

At the Cathedral of the Madeleine, the celebration will begin on Dec. 11 at 9 p.m. with a procession, followed by a vigil at 10 p.m. and Mass at 11 p.m.

At midnight the Mañanitas will be sung to the Virgin, followed by a small gathering with hot cocoa and sweet bread. On Dec. 12, Masses in English will be at 8 a.m.; at noon with a procession with the choristers and students of The Madeleine Choir School; and at 5:15 p.m.

Saint Francis Xavier Parish in Kearns will offer a novena for Our Lady of Guadalupe beginning on Dec. 3. Each night there will be Mass in Spanish at 6 p.m., followed by a rosary, Benediction and a reception in the gym. On Dec. 11 at midnight there will be the traditional Mañanitas, a Mass and Benediction. Also, roses will be offered to the image of the Lady. On Dec. 12, Mass will be celebrated at noon and 6 p.m.

At Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Salt Lake City, the celebration will start on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. with a Mass. At 10 p.m. there will be a procession, followed by music in English honoring Our Lady. At midnight will be the Mañanitas and a Mass. On Dec. 12 at 6 a.m. there will be Mañanitas; and at 7 p.m. a bilingual Mass.

Our Lady of Guadalupe’s message of love and compassion, and her universal promise of help and protection to all mankind, as well as the story of the apparitions, are described in the "Nican Mopohua," a 16th-century document written in the native Nahuatl language.

When the "Lady of Heaven" appeared to Saint Juan Diego at Tepeyac, she identified herself as the ever-virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the True God for whom we live, of the Creator of all things, Lord of heaven and the earth. She requested that a church to built on the site of her appearance. St. Juan Diego relayed her wish to the local bishop, who asked for a sign. Mother Mary’s response was to send Juan Diego to the top of the hill to gather roses (which, in December, should not have been in bloom) for the bishop. She also left an image of herself imprinted on Juan Diego’s cloak. Even 480 years later that image shows no sign of decay and defies all scientific explanations of its origin.

Each year 18 million to 20 million pilgrims visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, near the site of the apparition, making it one of Catholicism’s most visited sanctuaries.

Other parishes around the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City will be having celebrations for Our Lady of Guadalupe. For information about the events, call your local parish.