Colorful costumes and flowers were the order of the day as the annual Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration took place Dec. 15 at Sagrada Familia Parish on Cleveland’s West Side. Bishop Edward Malesic celebrated Mass – mostly in Spanish – with the Hispanic congregation.
Concelebrating were Father Jose Fifin, CSJ, who recently was appointed Sagrada Familia administrator, and Father Juan Francisco Molina, who was the homilist. Father Molina, a priest of the Diocese of Toledo, has visited Sagrada Familia several times.
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As is customary during Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrations, several young boys in the congregation dressed as Juan Diego, complete with tilmas and mustaches. The youngest was 3 months old. Many women were dressed in native dress, also. A mariachi band provided music at the liturgy.
Juan Diego an Indigenous Mexican peasant, saw four apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe in December 1531. He was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II on July 31, 2002 at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Mexico. The feast is a big celebration in the Hispanic community.
In his homily, which was presented in Spanish, Father Molina spoke about how it was Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent, and a time for joy because the birth of Jesus, the savior, is near. He said God wants us to be happy and that by being good and faithful, we can be happy. He engaged the congregation, offering examples of how people can be happy in daily life.
Father Molina said his parents taught him to be his best. “It doesn’t take money or property to be happy,” he said, telling the faithful to love the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe. “She stays with her children and teaches us to love.”
After Mass, the bishop greeted parishioners and enjoyed authentic, homemade Mexican food at a social gathering in the parish hall.