Hundreds of Hispanic and Latino Catholics, many dressed in colorful traditional clothing, gathered at St. Peter the Apostle Church on Johnsontown Road Dec. 12 to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of Mexico and of the Americas. It was one of a dozen or so celebrations of the feast day in the Archdiocese of Louisville.
Father Jean Gonzalez, associate pastor of St. Peter the Apostle, celebrated a Spanish language Mass. Father Christopher Lubecke, pastor, concelebrated.
During the liturgy, Father Gonzalez recalled the story of the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin in 1531.
He told those gathered that the Blessed Mother revealed herself to St. Juan Diego “in a special way” because she had something to give: her love and her comfort.
In a similar way, she remains among members of the faithful “so none of her children will be alone. Under her protection, there’s nothing to fear,” said Father Gonzalez.
Father Gonzalez drew the congregation’s attention to the Gospel reading from the Book of Luke where Mary sets off in “haste” to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist. In the same way, the Blessed Virgin Mary goes in haste looking to help each of her children, said Father Gonzalez.
