Good Shepherd Parish in Madison recently hosted its annual two-day festival for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The feast day commemorates the appearance of our Blessed Mother to St. Juan Diego in the 16th century, which led to the massive conversion of Mexico to Catholicism and has led to many conversions in the Americas beyond Mexico’s borders.
Between December 11 and 12, festivities included four Masses, communal praying of the Rosary, food, music, and dancing.
An estimated 1,500 people attended the Masses, in addition to more who attended outside of Mass time. About 100 bouquets of flowers were left to honor Our Lady.
Trumpets and guitars of the mariachi carried on late into the night.
Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison presided and preached at the 7 p.m. Mass on Sunday evening, one of several celebrations he attended for the festivity.
“We are grateful for Bishop Hying’s generosity and concern for our community,” said Good Shepherd Parish Pastor Fr. David Carrano.
“The celebration is much more than a cultural event. It is an expression of heartfelt love and devotion for Mary, the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a display of enduring faith, despite the challenges that many of our immigrant families face when setting out to begin a new life in the United States.”
The Guadalupan Missionaries Group spent hours preparing for and hosting the large crowds.
On December 11, an estimated 2,500 tacos and 800 sweet breads were served in addition to huge pots of traditional ponche (Mexican fruit punch), champurrado (thick hot drink made with ground corn and chocolate), and atole (Mexican hot beverage).
On December 12, an additional 400 breads, ponche, hot chocolate, and atole were served.
“The Guadalupan Missionaries Group of our Parish thanks all the people who donated their time, talent, and treasure to be able to carry out this great celebration in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe. We are very happy for the support shown to our community so that this great celebration is a success each year,” said Jaime García and Angelica Ríos, the festival’s coordinators.
Marie Ethen is the development director at Good Shepherd Parish in Madison.