Rousing songs in Spanish accompanied by guitars echoed in the halls of the Custody on Friday December 12th. They came from the Saint-Savior Church where they were celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of Mexico and Latin America.
Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared in 1531 to an indigenous Mexican converted to Catholicism. Every year since 1988, a celebration is held in honour of this Virgin in Jerusalem. This is an opportunity for the Latin American community to meet for a large Mass celebrated in Spanish, and organized by the seminarians of the Custody. This year, the Mass was officiated by Father Custos Pierbattista Pizzaballa together with the Custodial Vicar Fr. Dobromir. The homily of Fr. Agustin was focused on the universality of the Messiah, who also appeared to the Mexican natives in the sixteenth century, through his mother Mary. They bring us both love and hope; we only have to set off after them.
The Mass ended with a procession of friars, faithful and the Father Custos carrying the icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe. A special buffet awaited the faithful when they arrived at a parish hall decorated with the colours of Mexico. Pozole – a dish made of corn - guacamole, chicken in sauce and even rice pudding, as much as many other typical dishes more or less spicy that honoured the Mexican cuisine.
Fr. Mario, one of the ten Mexican seminarians told the importance of this festival and explained the great devotion to this Virgin. "It is a public holiday in the country, in which every person makes a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe located in his town. People arrive at the sanctuary at midnight to offer their congratulations to the Virgin.” A proverb says that even if not all the Mexicans are Catholics, at least they are all guadalupeans!
This Latin American parenthesis in the thrice Holy City highlights the universality of the message of Christ. As Fr. Oscar says: "During the Mass I felt like being at home in Mexico because the love that the Virgin came to show us, the love that makes us approach to the other and live as brothers is here too, in the warm and fraternal atmosphere of this celebration. "
H.M.
Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared in 1531 to an indigenous Mexican converted to Catholicism. Every year since 1988, a celebration is held in honour of this Virgin in Jerusalem. This is an opportunity for the Latin American community to meet for a large Mass celebrated in Spanish, and organized by the seminarians of the Custody. This year, the Mass was officiated by Father Custos Pierbattista Pizzaballa together with the Custodial Vicar Fr. Dobromir. The homily of Fr. Agustin was focused on the universality of the Messiah, who also appeared to the Mexican natives in the sixteenth century, through his mother Mary. They bring us both love and hope; we only have to set off after them.
The Mass ended with a procession of friars, faithful and the Father Custos carrying the icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe. A special buffet awaited the faithful when they arrived at a parish hall decorated with the colours of Mexico. Pozole – a dish made of corn - guacamole, chicken in sauce and even rice pudding, as much as many other typical dishes more or less spicy that honoured the Mexican cuisine.
Fr. Mario, one of the ten Mexican seminarians told the importance of this festival and explained the great devotion to this Virgin. "It is a public holiday in the country, in which every person makes a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe located in his town. People arrive at the sanctuary at midnight to offer their congratulations to the Virgin.” A proverb says that even if not all the Mexicans are Catholics, at least they are all guadalupeans!
This Latin American parenthesis in the thrice Holy City highlights the universality of the message of Christ. As Fr. Oscar says: "During the Mass I felt like being at home in Mexico because the love that the Virgin came to show us, the love that makes us approach to the other and live as brothers is here too, in the warm and fraternal atmosphere of this celebration. "
H.M.