Annual Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe
"Call me and call my image Santa Maria de Guadalupe"
December 12th is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who is the patroness of the Americas, unborn children, and the New Evangelization. The New Evangelization calls each of us to deepen our faith; believe in the Gospel message; and go forth to proclaim the Gospel. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the only apparition where the Mother of God left a miraculous image of herself which was unmade by human hands; and Our Lady appears pregnant in the image.
The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego in the 16th Century (1500s), in present day Mexico City, Mexico. Juan Diego saw an apparition of the Blessed Virgin on the Hill of Tepeyac, on December 9, 1531. During that time, in the Spanish Empire, this date happened to be the feast day of the Immaculate Conception. Our Lady requested that a church be built on that site, and Juan Diego dutifully relayed this request to the local Bishop.
After a request by the Bishop for a sign to prove Our Lady's identity, Juan Diego was directed by the Virgin Mary to gather roses that were growing on the Hill of Tepeyac (which were neither native to that area nor in season in December), and to take them to the Bishop. Juan Diego obeyed and placed the roses in his tilma (cloak), to carry back to the Bishop as evidence of Our Lady’s appearance.
Upon opening his tilma, to reveal the miraculous roses to the Bishop, there was something even more miraculous present on the tilma — a striking color image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In the image, Our Lady wears the traditional garments of an Aztec princess. A black sash around her waist was a cultural tradition among the Aztec women that indicated pregnancy. All the elements of the image point to Our Lady as being superior to the gods that the native Aztecs worshiped, while at the same time showing that she, herself, was submissive to the true Creator God by being pregnant with the Divine God-Man that grew within her womb.
By using only cultural symbols and no words, which the Aztec people could read as a codex (ancient, visible record). The miraculous image on the tilma "spoke" the truth of the Christian Faith that the Spanish Catholic missionaries proclaimed.
A mass conversion of millions upon millions of Aztecs, to the Catholic Faith, soon followed. Thus ending the human sacrifices, especially child sacrifices, that the Aztec people practiced. Many church historians also connect this mass conversion of souls to the Catholic Faith as heaven’s balance to the massive number of souls who left the Catholic Church during the Protestant Revolt, which was a tragedy happening during the same period in Catholic Europe.
A church was built at Our Lady’s request, on the Hill of Tepeyac, to mark the apparition site. Today, it is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage shrine in the world. Venerated in this basilica is the original tilma of St. Juan Diego, which still displays the miraculous Our Lady of Guadalupe image.
Adapted from:
Website
Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast Day Celebration at St. Gabriel's
Our parish community, with large Hispanic and Filipino populations who are devoted to Our Lady, annually have a special celebration of the December 12th Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. A social program involving singing and dancing, and traditional food and beverages, is an important component of our parish celebration. The congregation may sing “The Mañanitas” to Our Lady, following the tradition of the Basilica in Mexico City. We also celebrate our diversity by asking parishioners to wear traditional costumes from their places of origin. Our main celebration is conducted each December 12th, with a bilingual Mass. When the feast falls on a Sunday, the celebration begins with our 12:30 p.m. Mass. Please check our church calendar for the complete schedule of events for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The Celebration of Posadas
Posadas are an important part of Mexican Christmas traditions and could be compared with the Christmas Carolers. These community celebrations take place on each of the nine nights leading up to Christmas, from December 16th to the 24th. The word posada means "inn" or "shelter" in Spanish. In this tradition, Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem, and their search for a place to stay, is re-enacted. The nine nights of posadas leading up to Christmas represent the nine months that Jesus spent in Mary's womb.
The Posadas are celebrated by some of our parishioners, and each event begins with a procession in which the participants hold candles, sing Christmas carols, and the images of Mary and Joseph are carried. All members of families play a role in the celebration of Posadas. The procession will make its way to a particular home (a different one each night), where a special song (La Cancion Para pedir Posada) is sung. There are two parts to the traditional posada song. Those outside the house sing the part of Joseph asking for shelter, and the family inside responds by singing the part of the innkeeper saying that there is "no room." The song switches back and forth a few times, until finally the innkeeper decides to let them in. The hosts open the door and everyone goes inside.
Once inside the house, there is a celebration which can vary from a very big fancy party to a small get-together among friends. After a time for Bible reading and prayer, the hosts offer the guests food which is usually tamales and a hot drink, such as ponche or atole. Then, the guests break piñatas and the children are given candy.
History of the Posadas
Posadas originated in colonial Mexico. The Augustinian friars of San Agustin de Acolman, near Mexico City are believed to have celebrated the first posadas. In 1586, Friar Diego de Soria, the Augustinian prior, obtained a papal bull from Pope Sixtus V to celebrate what were called misas de aguinaldo "Christmas gift masses" between December 16th and 24th. The Aztecs had a tradition of honoring their god Huitzilopochtli at the same time of year (coinciding with the winter solstice), and they would have special meals in which the guests were given small figures of idols made from a paste that consisted of ground toasted corn and agave syrup. The friars took advantage of the coincidence and the two celebrations were combined.
Adapted from:
Website
Rorate Caeli Masses
Masses on Saturdays of Advent -- Starting before Sunrise [6:00 a.m.]
The Rorate Caeli Mass is a traditional Advent devotion, wherein the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary for Advent is offered just before dawn, on each Saturday during Advent. In many instances families and individuals travel an hour or more, rising and arriving very early for this stunningly beautiful Mass. The interplay of light and darkness speak to the meaning of Advent and the coming of Jesus Christ as the Light of the World.
The Mass takes its title, "Rorate Caeli," from the first words of the Introit, which are from Isaiah 45:8:
“Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant justum, aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem.”
“Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just; let the earth be opened and bud forth a Saviour.”
The Rorate Mass is lit only by candlelight. Because it is a votive Mass in Mary’s honor, white vestments are worn instead of Advent violet. In the dimly lit setting, priests and faithful prepare to honor the Light of the World, Who is soon to be born; and to offer praise to God for the gift of Our Lady. As the Mass proceeds and sunrise approaches, the church becomes progressively brighter, illumined by the sun as our Faith is illumined by Christ.
The readings and prayers of the Mass foretell the prophecy of the Virgin who would bear a Son, called Emmanuel. All are called upon to raise the gates of their hearts and their societies to let Christ the King enter, while asking for the grace to receive eternal life by the merits of the Incarnation and saving Resurrection of Our Lord.
Rorate Caeli Masses at St. Gabriel's
(From Darkness to Dawn)
In Advent of 2020, our parish restored these traditional Masses, and was surprised by the number of people who came to the celebrations. The beauty of our church's sanctuary inspires us during the celebrations, and it allows us to see the many flickering candles and the sunrise during the Mass. Our love for Mary will continue guiding us during future seasons of Advent, with each celebration of this ancient tradition.
Please check our church calendar for the exact starting time and dates, for our scheduled Rorate Caeli Masses during Advent.
Adapted from:
Website
Service of the Seven Last Words
Memories shared by our Pastor, Father Romen Acero
Some of my first memories of Holy Week in Bogota, Colombia, my native country, are all composed of moving rituals with lots of candles and incense, special music and devotions, statues covered with purple linens, the sound of wood rattles to replace the bells, and a great variety of processions.
One of the most touching moments of Holy Week in my home parish is what is called “El Descendimiento,” which means "the descending of the Crucified Lord." This is a very old ritual, so old that it is practiced only in few parishes around the world. It has its origins in the 16th and 17th Centuries, in Spain. It is a prayerful part of the preparation for the celebration of Easter.
Service of the Seven Last Words at St. Gabriel's
The Crucified Lord that we have in our church’s Atrium was donated by the Hispanic parishioners of our community, with the idea of establishing the “Descendimiento” as part of our prayerful services for Holy Week. The statue comes from Bogota, Colombia; and it is a 6-foot statue of Jesus which is jointed, so that its arms move in a manner resembling an actual human body. When the statue is taken down from the cross, it can easily be placed in a casket without a problem. Our church's casket is a handmade wooden coffin which was built and donated by parishioner Leonardo Acosta and family.
On Good Friday, a Service of the Last Seven Words of Jesus is celebrated. It is a prayerful reflection on Jesus’s last seven spoken statements, such as: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” With a Menorah in front of the statue, a candle is extinguished after each of Jesus’s last seven spoken statements (which are referred to as "words") are announced. This is to remind us how our disobedience of God's commandments leads us to death, and to the fullness of darkness. Once the seventh "word" is announced and meditated upon, and the seventh candle is extinguished, some men of our community proceed to take down from the cross the statue of the Crucified Lord, and to place it in the casket. It is a very touching moment. Then, our Sisters, the Daughters of Our Lady of Guadalupe, come around the casket and anoint the statue of Jesus with perfumed oils, while the community sing.
Once the anointing of the statue is finished, the statue is covered with white linens. Then, the coffin is carried outside and around the church, as the faithful who are singing and carrying lighted candles follow in procession, before returning inside the church for the conclusion of the service. The lighted candles symbolize what the Easter Mystery is all about. Death has not had the last word. Through Jesus’s Resurrection, God restores what humanity corrupts.
After the service, members of our congregation approach the statue in the casket, in order to express their love for Christ and their “pésame” (condolences) to His Sorrowful Mother. Beginning on the Easter Vigil, and until the last day of the Easter Season, we place a statue of the Risen Lord in the Sanctuary, to symbolize the victory of Christ over death. The Risen Lord statue was also donated by our Hispanic parishioners, to enrich the celebrations of the Easter Triduum with prayerful and beautiful elements.
The parish's first Service of the Last Seven Words of Jesus was celebrated during Holy Week of 2015. It has been a beautiful, meaningful, and vital connection to the mystery of Jesus’s passion, death, and resurrection. We invite you to be part of this service. Easter Sunday doesn’t mean anything unless we walk through the Easter Triduum liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Great Easter Vigil.
