Catholics across Mexico and in Mexico are celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Tuesday with masses, blessings, dance and music. In North Texas, tens of thousands of people are expected to attend a daylong celebration at the Cathedral of Guadalupe in Dallas.
The annual celebration of faith, culture, and tradition is a little more special this year in Dallas, as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Dallas, was recently designated a national shrine by the United States. Become something. State Catholic Bishops' Conference.
“All the people we've seen come here to elevate the majesty of this cathedral to the status of a national shrine, and now even more,” said Dallas Bishop Edward Burns. I believe many people will come.”
Over the past two days, thousands of people have visited the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in downtown Dallas.
The historic National Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe has long been a fixture in the local Latino community, and the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Dallas began more than a century ago, according to our partners at the Dallas Morning News. .
On December 12, Catholics celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which honors the Virgin Mary and her message of love and unity.
The feast celebrates the vision of the Virgin Mary to the Mexican peasant St. Juan Diego in 1531, and during the visit the apparition is said to have expressed “maternal love and care for all humanity, especially the peoples of Mexico and the Americas.” ” was announced.
“I think it's a tradition,” Dallas resident Gabriel Gonzalez said. “Mostly it's the culture, the Mexican culture.”
The Catholic Diocese of Dallas expected this year's celebration to draw 50,000 visitors, more than in the past, after the historic church was elevated to a national shrine.
“This place gives mercy and gives blessings,” Father Jesús Belmontes said. “It is an honor for our parish.”
Belmontes said he has welcomed visitors from all over Texas and surrounding states. Many people waited in line to enter the sanctuary Monday night.
“I was really overwhelmed and filled with joy,” Belmontes said.
For the Gomez family of DeSoto, it's a time to celebrate their faith and traditions.
“This is a family tradition that was passed down to me from my mother and grandmother, and I want to keep it alive for my daughters,” said Veronica Gomez of DeSoto.
People bring roses to offer at the altar and enjoy mariachi serenades and matatine dances.
Pedro Muniz has been participating in dance for over 20 years to celebrate his faith and Mexican heritage.
“We don't have the words to say 'thank you,' so we express our gratitude through dance,” Muniz said.
The cathedral's designation as a national shrine gave it added significance for North Texas residents who immigrated to the area from Mexico.
“So it's going to be like the same thing here,” Margarita Romero said. “So now we have something that is ours, from our country, that reminds us of where we came from.”
Bishop Edward Burns led a celebratory mass at 5pm on Tuesday, followed by music and dancing in the cathedral square.
A flower blessing was held at 8:30 p.m., bringing the festival to a close.
“Her apparition serves as a powerful reminder of faith, unity, and the enduring cultural and spiritual connection between Catholics and the Mother of God.” , tens of thousands of people will make a pilgrimage to the Dallas Cathedral from all over the world on the 4th and 12th to commemorate and celebrate this extraordinary event,'' officials posted on the cathedral's website. did.
Last year, about 30,000 people celebrated the ceremony at the Dallas Cathedral, according to the Diocese of Dallas. The Diocese of Dallas is comprised of more than 1.3 million Catholics attending her more than 70 parishes and her more than 30 schools in nine counties in North Texas.
Parish leaders said they were already anticipating crowds flocking to Our Lady of Guadalupe in 2031, when the world's faith community marks the 500th anniversary of the apparition of the miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary.
