El Pasoans honor Virgen de Guadalupe with rosary, Mass and Matachines
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Many El Pasoans began their observance of the Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe Tuesday early with prayer and Mass.
Dec. 12 is the feast day for the Dark Virgin, marking a series of apparitions in December of 1531 by the Virgin before Saint Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico. The last one was before Don Juan de Zumárraga, then bishop of Mexico.
Many Catholics celebrate the day by attending Mass, which often includes singing the traditional birthday song, Las Mañanitas.
About 50 faithful attended a rosary and bilingual Mass Tuesday at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1118 N. Mesa St.
Several other celebrations continued on Tuesday afternoon.
La Fe Culture and Technology Center hosted a Matachines celebration in the Segundo Barrio Tuesday afternoon. A small crowd enjoyed the drumming and stomping of the Matachines Immaculado Corazon de Maria, from Westway, The group danced before an image of the Virgen de Guadalupe, ending with a bow on their knees.
Rosario Perez, said she and her mother Hermelinda Perez founded the group 20 years ago, inspired by their faith in God and the Virgin Mary.
"The virgin has never abandoned us. She is always with us," she said. "She has granted us many miracles and what better way to pray to her than to thank her with our dance."
Perez said it doesn't matter how many are available to dance.
"It can be just two people dancing, and as long as I'm one of them, I am happy," she said. "I hope the people here are able to know faith and that the mother of God never leaves us. ... if you ask her, she will be there for you. Many people may not see her intercede for us, but she is there."
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Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, 131 S Zaragoza Road., also had a procession from Ysleta Mission, Tuesday afternoon, followed by a Mariachi Mass and dinner sponsored by the Guadalupanas.
María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com, @EPTMaria on Twitter; eptmariacg on TikTok.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Virgen de Guadalupe: El Paso honors Dec. 12 with rosary, Mass
