ROMAN CATHOLICS CELEBRATE A NEW WORLD'S VIRGIN MARY GUADALUPE: LATINOS, OTHERS MARK FEAST DAY.Byline: Tony Castro Staff Writer There is a deafening silence in the pre-dawn hours of the morning, when not much seems to stir in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. except faith. But shortly before 5 a.m. Wednesday, the sound of drums shattered the quiet in the plaza at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is a cathedral church of the United States in the City of Los Angeles in California. It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles[1] and seat of its archbishop, Roger Cardinal Mahony. downtown as Aztec dancers appeared out of the darkness, braving the cold in little more than loincloths. Marking the start of a celebration honoring the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe, also called the Virgin of Guadalupe (Spanish: Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe or Virgen de Guadalupe) is a 16th century Roman Catholic Mexican icon depicting , patroness of the New World, it is a day that has been commemorated in Mexico for almost five centuries and by Latinos in the U.S. Southwest for about half as long. But today, this feast-day celebration, once obscure outside the Southwest and Central America Central America, narrow, southernmost region (c.202,200 sq mi/523,698 sq km) of North America, linked to South America at Colombia. It separates the Caribbean from the Pacific. , has taken on a tenor that in many ways is more mainstream in the Roman Catholic Church Roman Catholic Church, Christian church headed by the pope, the bishop of Rome (see papacy and Peter, Saint). Its commonest title in official use is Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. in the Americas than the once-obligatory Latin Mass The term Latin Mass refers to the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Mass celebrated in Latin. Specifically, the term is frequently used to denote the Tridentine Mass: that is, the Roman-Rite liturgy of the Mass celebrated in accordance with the successive editions of the Roman . In the splendor of the relatively new cathedral, the feast was marked Wednesday with mariachis, dancing Aztecs and serenades of the Virgin Mary Virgin Mary: see Mary. Virgin Mary immaculately conceived; mother of Jesus Christ. [N.T.: Matthew 1:18–25; 12:46–50; Luke 1:26–56; 11:27–28; John 2; 19:25–27] See : Purity . Cardinal Roger Mahony celebrated Mass in Spanish and called for renewed support for Latino immigrants. "The raids, divisions of families, insecurity in the workplace, lack of drivers' licenses, the stigma of being labeled 'illegal' without rights -- these are injustices faced by our immigrant community crying out for God's intervention," Mahony told about 2,000 Latinos gathered for Mass. To Mahony's right was the carefully encased en·case tr.v. en·cased, en·cas·ing, en·cas·es To enclose in or as if in a case. en·case  ment n. object of the
day's devotion: a 12-foot replica of the centuries-old image of Our
Lady of Guadalupe that is enshrined at the Basilica of Tepeyac in Mexico
City.
To Latinos, she is the "Virgencita Mexicana," and as a singer serenaded the image, elderly women in pews nearby made the sign of the cross. Later, many of them left red roses at the foot of the image, which was blessed by John Paul II John Paul II, 1920–2005, pope (1978–2005), a Pole (b. Wadowice) named Karol Józef Wojtyła; successor of John Paul I. He was the first non-Italian pope elected since the Dutch Adrian VI (1522–23) and the first Polish and Slavic pope. and toured parishes throughout Los Angeles for three years before it was permanently installed at the cathedral. Up close, some of the women said, it could pass for the original they have seen, down to the rips, tears and folds in the cloak. The original is actually a cloak made of cactus that has survived through the centuries. According to the faithful, it belonged to Aztec peasant Juan Diego to whom the Virgin Mary appeared in 1531 and who became a conduit between Our Lady of Guadalupe and her people of the New World. Diego asked the local bishop to build a church to honor her. When the bishop requested a sign that Diego's story was true, the Virgin of Guadalupe directed him to collect roses growing on a desolate hilltop and take them to the bishop wrapped in his cloak. When Diego delivered the roses, the bishop and other witnesses were astounded a·stound tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise. [From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, to find the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe imprinted on Diego's cloak. Mexicans and other Latinos are so wedded to the belief that in 2002, Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus PP. II, Italian: Giovanni Paolo II, Polish: Jan Paweł II) born Karol Józef Wojtyła honored their long-standing pleas, and Juan Diego was canonized can·on·ize tr.v. can·on·ized, can·on·iz·ing, can·on·iz·es 1. To declare (a deceased person) to be a saint and entitled to be fully honored as such. 2. To include in the biblical canon. 3. as a saint. On Wednesday, Mahony declared the Virgin of Guadalupe more than a symbol of devotion for Mexicans and other Latinos. "Let us not forget that the Virgin of Guadalupe is the mother of everyone," he said. "She appeared to Juan Diego, but he had to present himself to the bishop. "The bishop, not Juan Diego, was in charge of building her church because her church would be for everyone, not just for Mexicans. Mary wishes to be of comfort and help to all mankind." Mahony also called on Roman Catholics to stand in solidarity with immigrants as he reaffirmed the commitment of the U.S. bishops to comprehensive reform. "We cannot stand idly by and do nothing," he said of recent raids by federal agents that have sent a chill through immigrant communities. "That is why today, on behalf of my brother bishops, I ask all of you to join us in continuing the mission that the Virgin of Guadalupe, 'La Morenita,' gave to Juan Diego to build one church, one community, one people of God. "The Catholic Church in Los Angeles asks Our Lady of Guadalupe to fill us with her blessing so that she may once again serve as a symbol of reconciliation and healing that unites all cultures." Outside the cathedral, dawn unfolded. Late worshippers were still arriving, bundled against the cold and holding on to more roses -- and their faith. tony.castro(at)dailynews.com 818-713-3761 CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) At the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels plaza, Aztec dancers, braving the cold in little more than loincloths, help celebrate the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. (2 -- color) Cardinal Roger Mahony listens to singer Jackie Ibarra serenade serenade [Ital. sera=evening], term used to designate several types of musical composition. Opera and song literature yield numerous examples of the serenade sung or played by a lover at night beneath his beloved's window; outstanding is the portrait of Our Lady of Guadalupe during a traditional feast-day sunrise Mass on Wednesday at the downtown Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. (3 -- color) A woman prays facing a 12-foot replica in L.A. of the centuries-old image of Our Lady of Guadalupe enshrined in Mexico City. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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