WILKES-BARRE – The Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, celebrated on Dec. 12, holds profound significance in the Catholic Church, especially within Hispanic communities, where it is marked by a deep sense of reverence, tradition, and cultural pride.
Parishes throughout the Diocese of Scranton once again celebrated this year with special Masses, vibrant processions, and joyful celebrations. The celebrations drew hundreds – and sometimes even more than a thousand – of the faithful together in a shared expression of faith.
“The day is so special because no matter where you are, or what you’re doing, we all come together for her,” Giselle Jimenez said.
Jimenez was among the standing-room only crowd of parishioners that filled Saint Nicholas Church in Wilkes-Barre as a special Mass was held Dec. 12 to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“She has always done so many miracles for us. Whenever we are in need, we pray to her. We just grew up with this custom,” Jimenez added.
Prior to the Mass, which was celebrated by the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, hundreds of people participated in a beautiful procession throughout the streets of Wilkes-Barre. As they navigated downtown streets in the cold, parishioners carried a large statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe on a pedestal, throwing rose petals, while singing and dancing and publicly showing love and devotion to the Blessed Mother.
“I feel a lot of joy knowing that our community is so big, and we come out to these special events,” Azucena Aguilar, a parishioner of Saint Nicholas-Saint Mary Parish, said.
The origins of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe trace back to 1531, when the Virgin Mary appeared to a humble indigenous man, Juan Diego, on the hill of Tepeyac, near present-day Mexico City. She requested that a church be built in her honor, and Juan Diego brought proof of the apparition – his tilma, or cloak, bearing the miraculous image of the Virgin – which serves as a powerful symbol of faith and identity for many Catholics.
“We were taught from our ancestors about the miraculous apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe,” parishioner Nereida Cruz explained. “She brought a message of unity. She is a model of faith to us Catholics, in the path of following our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In the days leading up to Dec. 12, Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Scranton hosted novenas, with families gathering for prayers, hymns, and reflections in the Blessed Mother’s honor. The parish also held traditional ‘mananitas,’ a serenade at dawn, on Dec. 12, from the Cathedral of Saint Peter to Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Church on Prospect Avenue.
“It is very, very special to see everyone coming together,” Shareny Hernandez, a parishioner of Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish, said. “It’s really nice that the devotion keeps growing, not only in the Mexican culture, but in other cultures and places and surroundings.”
On Dec. 8, Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish also held a special Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Cathedral of Saint Peter, which like the one in Wilkes-Barre, was celebrated by Bishop Bambera.
“I think it was fabulous,” parishioner Daisy Klem said.
Following the Mass, hundreds attended a large celebration with food and dancing at the Diocesan Pastoral Center.
Rufino Cano, who sang in the choir at the Cathedral Mass, said the annual celebration is not merely a celebration of the past, but a living, evolving tradition that resonates deeply within the hearts of those who honor Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“It is very important to show our culture, our food, and our dances. It’s very important to show how the Hispanic community celebrates our Catholicism,” Cano stated.