La Virgen inspires ‘missionary spirit’ in laity, says archbishop
During a colorful Aug. 5 celebration to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe, thousands of participants from all nationalities and walks of life were reminded of the “missionary spirit” behind the story of the Virgin’s encounter with St. Juan Diego, showing the key role of lay people in building the Church and in the process of the new evangelization.
“The spirit of Tepeyac, the spirit of Our Lady of Guadalupe, is the missionary spirit,” Archbishop José Gomez told about 70,000 people who had waited since mid-morning to get inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to honor and venerate the Virgin.
“Our Lady of Guadalupe is not only the Mother of the people of Mexico. She is the Mother of all the peoples of the Americas,” remarked the archbishop. “She is the New Eve. She is the Mother of all the living.
“Jesus Christ wants to make use of us,” he continued. “Just as he made use of St. Juan Diego, just as he made use of (recently beatified) Blessed María Inés. He wants us to be apostolates and missionaries.”
The afternoon celebration was sponsored by the Archdiocese of L.A., the Knights of Columbus and the Mexico-based Institute of Guadalupan Studies. The event also served as a prelude for the Knights’ national convention to be held Aug. 7-9 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
With chants of “Que Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!” a roaring crowd welcomed the drummers performing from a stage at the eastern end of the camp, setting the tune for the entrance of Aztec and Matachines dancers performing at the other end.
They were followed by a procession of the Knights of Columbus who carried the relic of the tilma of St. Juan Diego (a present from the Basilica of Guadalupe that has been kept at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels) that was placed in a special shrine in front of the Virgin’s framed image. A prayer was said soon after.
Other speakers included Msgr. Eduardo Chávez, co-founder and rector of the Institute for Guadalupan Studies and canon of the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, and Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight.
In a strong, determined voice, Msgr. Chávez emphasized the important role of laypeople in the Church and their unity with bishops and priests, while Anderson stressed the Virgin’s message of reconciliation and the important role of families in the Church.
A gigantic Rosary was displayed on the field by members of different ethnic groups, followed by a bilingual (English/Spanish) Rosary prayer led by Cardinal Roger Mahony with the participation of Los Angeles’ auxiliary bishops, and many others. Participating celebrities (live or via video) included Mexican actor Eduardo Verastegui (“For Greater Glory”), telenovela actress Angélica María, award-winning film director Alejandro Monteverde, Dodgers’ coach Manny Mota, Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia, former major league all-star Mike Piazza, current pitcher Jeff Suppan and Polish state deputy Krysztof Orzechowski.
The event featured performances by international singers Danielle Rose, Dana Scallon, Filippa Giordano and Mariachi artist and actor Pedro Fernandez.
Archbishop Gomez recounted the story of thousands of refugees from the Cristero War who found a home in Los Angeles, “many of them priests and religious women,” who helped build the Church in L.A. together with lay refugees.
“I’ve said many times,” said Archbishop Gomez, “that Los Angeles is ‘tierra de Santos y Santas,’ the Land of Saints! And not just because our cities and streets have saints’ names.”
After mentioning Blessed Junípero Serra and Mother Luisita, founder of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, he focused his attention on María Inés Teresa Arias, beatified in Mexico City in April.
Forced to exile in 1929, she and other members of the religious community Poor Clares she had joined in Mexico were welcomed in L.A. A year later, as she was kneeling in prayer after professing temporary vows Dec. 12 (Our Lady of Guadalupe’s feast day), “she had a mystical experience,” said the archbishop.
“If it enters within the designs of God, to make use of you for the works of apostolate, I commit myself to accompany you in all your endeavors,” she heard the Virgin telling her.
A short time later she established in L.A. the Poor Clare Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. For the next 50 years she sent the sisters throughout the world to proclaim the Gospel, and established communities in 14 other countries with the mission of carrying the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, said Archbishop Gomez, “so that she through her maternal tenderness would bring her Divine Son to live in the hearts of those who hunger for God without knowing it.”
Msgr. Chávez narrated the encounter of the Virgin and St. Juan Diego, and told participants, “You are the new San Diego in this day and world. You construct your holy house, your soul. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit.” And he stressed throughout his speech that “at the center of the Virgin’s message is Jesus Christ Our Savior.”
Anderson, who with Msgr. Chávez coauthored “Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love” (Image, 2009), spoke in English and Spanish in emphasizing the importance of family.
“Nowhere is the future of the family more important today than in our hemisphere,” he remarked. “We are all citizens of a Catholic hemisphere, a continent united by histories of faith. At a time when the Church was losing millions in Europe, Our Lady of Guadalupe came to us and called millions to conversion in the Americas.”
Dubbing the Virgin, the “mother of the new evangelization” and “mother of the civilization of love,” Anderson encouraged the large assembly to “embrace our neighbors in charity and in faith in order to build the civilization of love.”
After his closing prayer, Archbishop Gomez led the crowd in chants of “¡Que Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe! ¡Que Viva Cristo Rey!”
Chanting with the crowd and enjoying the Mariachi music were Evelyn Kang and Dieza Gutierrez, parishioners of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Riverside. They said they had never heard of the Virgin of Guadalupe when growing up in the Philippines, but the fervor of the Virgin’s devout followers inspired them to learn more about her history once they arrived in California.
They said that through their participation in the event they felt motivated to become more pro-active in their parish.
Longtime St. Denis (Diamond Bar) parishioner Mary Kuper, on the other hand, said she had attended the event out of curiosity and what she saw had “exceeded my expectations. I am awestruck by the diversity I see here.”
Younger generations were also surprised by the collective response in prayer.
“I feel I have to be good with my mom,” said Juan Sanchez, 17, sitting next to his girlfriend Jannette Lopez, 17, and their respective mothers.
Lopez could not hide her joy of seeing “so much energy and so many people praying together. There is such a feeling of faith in here.”
“The spirit of Tepeyac, the spirit of Our Lady of Guadalupe, is the missionary spirit,” Archbishop José Gomez told about 70,000 people who had waited since mid-morning to get inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to honor and venerate the Virgin.
“Our Lady of Guadalupe is not only the Mother of the people of Mexico. She is the Mother of all the peoples of the Americas,” remarked the archbishop. “She is the New Eve. She is the Mother of all the living.
“Jesus Christ wants to make use of us,” he continued. “Just as he made use of St. Juan Diego, just as he made use of (recently beatified) Blessed María Inés. He wants us to be apostolates and missionaries.”
The afternoon celebration was sponsored by the Archdiocese of L.A., the Knights of Columbus and the Mexico-based Institute of Guadalupan Studies. The event also served as a prelude for the Knights’ national convention to be held Aug. 7-9 at the Anaheim Convention Center.
With chants of “Que Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!” a roaring crowd welcomed the drummers performing from a stage at the eastern end of the camp, setting the tune for the entrance of Aztec and Matachines dancers performing at the other end.
They were followed by a procession of the Knights of Columbus who carried the relic of the tilma of St. Juan Diego (a present from the Basilica of Guadalupe that has been kept at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels) that was placed in a special shrine in front of the Virgin’s framed image. A prayer was said soon after.
Other speakers included Msgr. Eduardo Chávez, co-founder and rector of the Institute for Guadalupan Studies and canon of the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, and Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight.
In a strong, determined voice, Msgr. Chávez emphasized the important role of laypeople in the Church and their unity with bishops and priests, while Anderson stressed the Virgin’s message of reconciliation and the important role of families in the Church.
A gigantic Rosary was displayed on the field by members of different ethnic groups, followed by a bilingual (English/Spanish) Rosary prayer led by Cardinal Roger Mahony with the participation of Los Angeles’ auxiliary bishops, and many others. Participating celebrities (live or via video) included Mexican actor Eduardo Verastegui (“For Greater Glory”), telenovela actress Angélica María, award-winning film director Alejandro Monteverde, Dodgers’ coach Manny Mota, Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia, former major league all-star Mike Piazza, current pitcher Jeff Suppan and Polish state deputy Krysztof Orzechowski.
The event featured performances by international singers Danielle Rose, Dana Scallon, Filippa Giordano and Mariachi artist and actor Pedro Fernandez.
Archbishop Gomez recounted the story of thousands of refugees from the Cristero War who found a home in Los Angeles, “many of them priests and religious women,” who helped build the Church in L.A. together with lay refugees.
“I’ve said many times,” said Archbishop Gomez, “that Los Angeles is ‘tierra de Santos y Santas,’ the Land of Saints! And not just because our cities and streets have saints’ names.”
After mentioning Blessed Junípero Serra and Mother Luisita, founder of the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, he focused his attention on María Inés Teresa Arias, beatified in Mexico City in April.
Forced to exile in 1929, she and other members of the religious community Poor Clares she had joined in Mexico were welcomed in L.A. A year later, as she was kneeling in prayer after professing temporary vows Dec. 12 (Our Lady of Guadalupe’s feast day), “she had a mystical experience,” said the archbishop.
“If it enters within the designs of God, to make use of you for the works of apostolate, I commit myself to accompany you in all your endeavors,” she heard the Virgin telling her.
A short time later she established in L.A. the Poor Clare Missionary Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. For the next 50 years she sent the sisters throughout the world to proclaim the Gospel, and established communities in 14 other countries with the mission of carrying the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, said Archbishop Gomez, “so that she through her maternal tenderness would bring her Divine Son to live in the hearts of those who hunger for God without knowing it.”
Msgr. Chávez narrated the encounter of the Virgin and St. Juan Diego, and told participants, “You are the new San Diego in this day and world. You construct your holy house, your soul. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit.” And he stressed throughout his speech that “at the center of the Virgin’s message is Jesus Christ Our Savior.”
Anderson, who with Msgr. Chávez coauthored “Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love” (Image, 2009), spoke in English and Spanish in emphasizing the importance of family.
“Nowhere is the future of the family more important today than in our hemisphere,” he remarked. “We are all citizens of a Catholic hemisphere, a continent united by histories of faith. At a time when the Church was losing millions in Europe, Our Lady of Guadalupe came to us and called millions to conversion in the Americas.”
Dubbing the Virgin, the “mother of the new evangelization” and “mother of the civilization of love,” Anderson encouraged the large assembly to “embrace our neighbors in charity and in faith in order to build the civilization of love.”
After his closing prayer, Archbishop Gomez led the crowd in chants of “¡Que Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe! ¡Que Viva Cristo Rey!”
Chanting with the crowd and enjoying the Mariachi music were Evelyn Kang and Dieza Gutierrez, parishioners of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Riverside. They said they had never heard of the Virgin of Guadalupe when growing up in the Philippines, but the fervor of the Virgin’s devout followers inspired them to learn more about her history once they arrived in California.
They said that through their participation in the event they felt motivated to become more pro-active in their parish.
Longtime St. Denis (Diamond Bar) parishioner Mary Kuper, on the other hand, said she had attended the event out of curiosity and what she saw had “exceeded my expectations. I am awestruck by the diversity I see here.”
Younger generations were also surprised by the collective response in prayer.
“I feel I have to be good with my mom,” said Juan Sanchez, 17, sitting next to his girlfriend Jannette Lopez, 17, and their respective mothers.
Lopez could not hide her joy of seeing “so much energy and so many people praying together. There is such a feeling of faith in here.”
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