20,000 faithful gather to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe at L.A.’s Oldest Religious Procession

Archbishop José H. Gomez called on the faithful to place their lives in the tender care of their Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe today during the annual outdoor Mass in East Los Angeles – the culmination of the 94th Procession and Mass honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego. Themed “Cause of Our Joy and Hope,” the Procession and Mass commemorate the 494th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the humble St. Juan Diego.

“We are her sons and daughters and she wants to accompany us, to go with us on our journey of life,” said Archbishop Gomez during the homily he delivered at East Los Angeles College Stadium. “So today let’s take a look at our lives, let’s look into our hearts. Let’s ask for the grace to understand what we need to change about our lives. Let’s ask our Blessed Mother to help us.”

The annual procession through the streets of East Los Angeles included more than 20,000 faithful; 40 “andas” or decorated handmade carts with framed images or statues of the Virgin of Guadalupe brought by families and parish groups; various parish Guadalupano groups and equestrian troupes; students from local Catholic schools; and 30 traditional dance groups who offer their movements as a prayer for the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

“Let us make our families a place where Jesus teaches us his love and his values — a place where we love and laugh and sacrifice for one another,” said Archbishop Gomez. “Our homes should be a place where Christ is present, and where everyone finds love and compassion, understanding and mercy. Let us glorify God and serve our brothers and sisters in need.”

Starting in mid-September, the images of Our Lady of Guadalupe, known as “La Peregrina,” and Saint Juan Diego began a pilgrimage to visit 51 parishes and Catholic cemeteries and even a convent, where thousands of faithful across the tri-county Archdiocese of Los Angeles had the opportunity to venerate the images and held special celebrations.

Today’s celebration is the oldest religious procession in L.A., as it was established by Mexican Catholics who fled persecution by the Mexican government during the Cristero War in 1931. The annual celebration commemorating the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe recalls the miraculous apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Saint Juan Diego at Tepeyac Hill, Mexico City, in December 1531, when she left her image on his “tilma” or cloak. Her image has been a symbol of unity, peace, compassion, and hope for people around the world.

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and one of St. Juan Diego in today’s procession were gifts hand-delivered last December by the Rector of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Archdiocese of Mexico City, Monsignor Efrain Hernandez Diaz; and the first rector of the Basilica, Monsignor Diego Monroy. These images along with a second exact replica of the original in Mexico were gifts to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as a symbol of unity between the two Archdioceses as preparations are underway for the years leading up to the 500th anniversary of the miracles of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 2031.

For more information, visit lacatholics.org/guadalupe.

NOTE: Videos and images of the procession are available at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jREQoGxPFSd1QJaSylu_1Ubm1spML7fX?usp=sharing. Full video of the Mass to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe is available at https://lacatholics.org/guadalupe/ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sqNgud9KKI. Please credit: Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

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