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Happening ... in the Local Church
Our Lady of Guadalupe
'What a feast that says unity, that says love'
 Dancers
in colorful costumes kneel in front of an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
before the start of Mass at St. Boniface Church, Lafayette, on Dec. 12.
(Photos by Lisa Wilson-Cotillier) |
 From
left are Bishop Jose Corral, Father Gustavo Lopez, Bishop William L.
Higi and Father Tim Alkire. |
 Our
Lady’s appearances to St. Juan Diego are re-enacted during Mass at St.
Boniface Church on Dec. 12.Left: Hector Avila portrays St. Juan Diego, Leslie Muro portrays Our Lady of Guadalupe and Samantha Avila portrays an angel during the re-enactment. |
 St.
Juan Diego visits his sick uncle, who later was healed by Our Lady. |
 Our
Lady gives St. Juan Diego roses to show to the local bishop. |
 Our
Lady’s image miraculously appears on St. Juan Diego’s tilma. |
By Lisa Wilson-Cotillier
The Catholic Moment
LAFAYETTE — St. Boniface Church was filled with music, dance and prayer Dec. 12 as hundreds gathered to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
It was a historic moment in the parish’s 154-year history, said Father Tim Alkire, pastor. Two bishops came to observe the feast that recalls the miraculous events surrounding the appearance of the Blessed Mother to St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, an Indian peasant farmer in Mexico, in 1531.
Bishop William L. Higi and Bishop Jose Corral of Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico, were in attendance. Father Alkire, Father William Vath and Father Gustavo Lopez concelebrated the Mass.
“It’s wonderful to have Bishop Corral and our bishop with us tonight,” Father Alkire said. “It expresses so beautifully that the Blessed Mother is Queen of the Americas. We have representatives from different parts of the Americas tonight, just like we do in the congregation. What a feast that says unity, that says love and expresses our common goal and common mission.”
Father Lopez, who is a priest of the Diocese of Parral, the Hispanic Council of St. Boniface and the Hispanic Youth Council organized the events preceding the Mass. Preparations began months ago.
A bilingual music festival, the novena of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Benediction and recitation of a bilingual rosary, a healing Mass, matachines (traditional dance), mananitas (morning serenade to Our Lady) and a fiesta all were a part of the celebration.
A parade of musicians and dancers in traditional costumes marched nearly 20 blocks to the church, where their arrival signaled the beginning of the evening Mass.
Bishop Corral granted Father Lopez permission to serve the St. Boniface community. Father Lopez’s invitation led to the bishop’s visit.
“This is an emotional night for me,” Bishop Corral said, noting that it was the first time he had celebrated the feast outside of his own cathedral. “I am very happy to be here in the diocese of Lafayette, celebrating this wonderful feast of hope, joy and thanksgiving with your bishop and with the people.”
“It is always wonderful for me as a bishop to be able to be a part of the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe,” Bishop Higi said. “I am always struck by the faith of the people. It is very deep, very demonstrative and the reenactment of the apparitions presented during the Mass is always very moving.”
Tradition holds that the Blessed Mother asked Juan Diego to go to the local bishop to request that a shrine be built at Tepayac, the site of the apparitions. That task would not have been easy, Bishop Higi said, because the Spanish occupied the territory. The native Indians were enslaved and persecuted.
According to tradition, the bishop asked for a sign to prove that the apparition was true. As a sign to the bishop, the Virgin Mother left an unexplainable image of herself on Juan Diego’s cloak. The miraculous events became the impetus for the conversion of about eight million indigenous people of Mexico.
“It’s a great blessing to see so many youth willing to work hard for their community, and to see so many people of the parish united to celebrate this feast,” said Susanna Alvarez, youth council member and co-organizer. “It’s something you can’t put into words.”
“This is a feast of great joy,” said Jose Munoz, a Hispanic Council member. “It is wonderful to be here to celebrate with my family and with the community, and it is a great honor to have Bishop Corral and Bishop Higi here to celebrate with us.”
Pope John Paul II canonized St. Juan Diego at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe on July 31, 2002. He placed the lives of the unborn under the care of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and named her the patron of all the Americas and Star of the first and new evangelization.
“The message of this feast is faith, hope and love,” Father Lopez said. “Our Lady reminds us that whether we are Anglo or Hispanic, we have one faith, one Church, one baptism.”