Scores of worshippers gathered at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Dec. 12 to celebrate the traditional "Maņanitas" Mass in honor of the 475th anniversary of the apparitions of the Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego in Mexico.

The Feast Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe began with a pre-dawn procession of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe through the Cathedral Plaza accompanied by Aztec dancers. Once inside the Cathedral, the traditional "Maņanitas" began at 5 a.m., featuring Mariachi Estrella de Jalisco, the Cathedral Choir and soloists. The faithful filled the Cathedral as Cardinal Roger Mahony celebrated Mass in Spanish at 5:45 a.m.

Aztec dancers performed traditional dances in honor of the Virgin during the liturgy and throughout the day at the Cathedral Plaza. The day's festivities concluded with a "Nochesitas" Mass in the evening. Throughout the Archdiocese of Los Angeles "Maņanitas" Masses also were celebrated in local parishes.