People come in masses for Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrations

NOVI — People came out to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the Catholic Church of the Holy Family in Novi Dec. 12. 

The annual celebration commemorates the appearance of the Virgin Mary to Juan Diego in December 1531 near present-day Mexico City.

“Today’s feast is a reminder in a special way for the people of Mexico of how much God loves them,” said Bishop Don Hanchon, who presided over the service. “How he reached down and out to every single one of them, and you can feel it in your heart. … Nothing is impossible with God.”

The church’s annual celebration included a morning and an evening Mass and showcased the traditions and culture of Mexico. The Ballet Folklorico Mexico Lindo, of Novi, performed before and after the service. During the service, several young men paraded a shrine devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe, with dozens of roses, around the church. The service was followed by an authentic Mexican dinner of tamales and cinnamon cookies.

Gabriela Vazquez, director of Hispanic ministry at Holy Family, said that the event has grown tremendously over the years. This year, she said, they held a serenade during the morning Mass, and over 200 people attended. According to Vasquez, that is over three times the daily attendance for a morning Mass. The evening service nearly filled the church to capacity with almost 800 people in attendance. 

Following the service, worshippers left roses at a shrine devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe. 

Vazquez said Holy Family’s congregation is approximately 30% Hispanic and the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is an integral part of the lives of people with Mexican heritage; the feast day offers a chance for them to celebrate their culture and the opportunity to introduce their traditions to others. 

“It was so beautiful because it represents a lot of the culture in Mexico: the food, the dancing, the decorations. It represents a lot of what is Mexico — the devotion,” said Martha Brilianti, of Novi. “And we have a huge devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, so that was amazing.”

Hanchon, who lived and studied in Mexico, said that Our Lady of Guadalupe is so highly regarded in Mexico that even atheists look up to her. 

“It’s a point in common that all Mexicans have,” said Sergio Brilanti. “When it comes to politics, they may have different opinions on things, but everyone comes together for that, because we consider her the mother of all Mexicans.”

Martha Brilanti said she is so important in Mexico that most companies give people the day off to celebrate and worship her, because if they don’t, people still would not go to work on her feast day. 

The celebration was very touching to parishioner Erica Lamy, who is of Haitian decent. 

“It is very cultural; it reminds me of home,” Lamy said. 

She said that there are many similarities between the two cultures, and the dancing is even similar to what she grew up with in Haiti.