On Thursday the twelfth of December, the Custody of the Holy Land was adorned not only in a snowy cloak, but also in the colors of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a major figure in South American Catholicism.
Organized by the Custody’s seminarians, the celebrations began with Mass in Spanish with the Custos, Fra Pierbattista Pizzaballa presiding, in the Church of Saint Saviour. Some fifty friars and seminarians of Latin American origin enlivened the joyous worship with traditional Mexican songs. Slightly less numerous than in previous years, the assembled friars welcomed those members of Latin American and local communities who had braved the cold and the snow to attend.
Patron of the Americas, Our Lady of Guadalupe draws over 14 million pilgrims a year to the only Marian sanctuary in Mexico. Uniting the population of the American continents in spite of their linguistic, ethnic and social differences, the Virgin of Guadalupe is honored for her apparition to a young Mexican Indian who had converted to Catholicism, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, in 1531, as well as for many miracles.
United with all Christians praying on this feast day, Fra Ugo Castro said in his homily that Our Lady of Guadalupe shows us that the Lord has not stopped visiting his people and drawing close to them. “The Gospel is made present in our various cultures; this is God urging us to pass on his Word wherever we may be.”
Born of a joint initiative by friars and Mexican pilgrims some five years ago, the celebration of the feast has been instituted for the pleasure of everyone in the Custody (in Jerusalem, but also in Jaffa, Bethlehem and many other Franciscan provinces). The procession with the icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe could not take place this year due to the snow, so the friars invited the assembly to join them immediately after the ceremony in the Custody’s large salon. South American flags and garlands floated above a buffet that was as colorful as it was appetizing! Benedetto, a seminarian of the Latin Patriarchate came to share the friars’ joy. Joy and smiles could be seen on all faces when Fra Artemio took the microphone to sing songs in Spanish.
A rare representation of the pregnant Virgin Mary, Guadalupe reminds us that in the cold winter temperatures of this December a Savior will soon be given to us. From Mexico to Bethlehem, Blessed Virgin Mary!
Emilie Rey
Organized by the Custody’s seminarians, the celebrations began with Mass in Spanish with the Custos, Fra Pierbattista Pizzaballa presiding, in the Church of Saint Saviour. Some fifty friars and seminarians of Latin American origin enlivened the joyous worship with traditional Mexican songs. Slightly less numerous than in previous years, the assembled friars welcomed those members of Latin American and local communities who had braved the cold and the snow to attend.
Patron of the Americas, Our Lady of Guadalupe draws over 14 million pilgrims a year to the only Marian sanctuary in Mexico. Uniting the population of the American continents in spite of their linguistic, ethnic and social differences, the Virgin of Guadalupe is honored for her apparition to a young Mexican Indian who had converted to Catholicism, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, in 1531, as well as for many miracles.
United with all Christians praying on this feast day, Fra Ugo Castro said in his homily that Our Lady of Guadalupe shows us that the Lord has not stopped visiting his people and drawing close to them. “The Gospel is made present in our various cultures; this is God urging us to pass on his Word wherever we may be.”
Born of a joint initiative by friars and Mexican pilgrims some five years ago, the celebration of the feast has been instituted for the pleasure of everyone in the Custody (in Jerusalem, but also in Jaffa, Bethlehem and many other Franciscan provinces). The procession with the icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe could not take place this year due to the snow, so the friars invited the assembly to join them immediately after the ceremony in the Custody’s large salon. South American flags and garlands floated above a buffet that was as colorful as it was appetizing! Benedetto, a seminarian of the Latin Patriarchate came to share the friars’ joy. Joy and smiles could be seen on all faces when Fra Artemio took the microphone to sing songs in Spanish.
A rare representation of the pregnant Virgin Mary, Guadalupe reminds us that in the cold winter temperatures of this December a Savior will soon be given to us. From Mexico to Bethlehem, Blessed Virgin Mary!
Emilie Rey