By Maria Paz Duarte|Correspondent

Hundreds of people from parishes throughout the Diocese of Trenton gathered in St. Rose of Lima Parish, Freehold, Dec. 8, to celebrate a diocesan pilgrimage in honor of Our Lady of  Guadalupe.  The celebration began with a procession of representatives from various parishes who entered the church bringing flowers and portraits, singing songs and performing folk dances to honor the Mother of God.  The day-long event, which included catechetical sessions for teens and children and Mass, was sponsored by the diocesan Department of Youth, Marriage and Family Life.

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Father Rene Pulgarin, pastor, Christ the Redeemer Parish, Mount Holly, who was also the speaker for the day, focused his preaching on the faith and hope found through Mary. He emphasized the importance of believing in Mary especially during time of vulnerability, loneliness or loss of hope.

“Our mother always brings us peace in the middle of the storm, her unconditional love is the best gift we can get, since is a gift of peace and love to help us to raise from our shadows,”  Father Pulgarin stressed, encouraging participants to “pray in silence,” asking the Virgin of Guadalupe to help with life’s sorrows and suffering because she experienced them all. 

Amelia Gonzalez, Divine Mercy Parish, Trenton, came to the pilgrimage with her children to show them the importance of continuing with the tradition of faith and love to the Virgin of Guadalupe. “I want my children to believe in her and grow up loving our Blessed Mother.  It is very important to cultivate this devotion in this country because it is part of who we are as Latinos and I don’t want my children to forget that, these are our roots, and it is the heritage that I can leave my children, to love and have faith in our Mother,” she affirmed.

Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to a peasant named Juan Diego at Tepeyac Hill, Mexico, Dec.12, 1531, only ten years after the conquest of Mexico, to bring the Gospel of love and compassion to the new continent. As proof of her visit, Mary left Castilian roses, not native to Mexico, in December, and her image which would remain permanently on the cloak of her servant, now St. Juan Diego. Today, under the title “Patroness of the Americas,” Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated and venerated by Latinos across the country.

Javier Garcia, St. Mark Parish, Sea Girt, said that he participates in all the pilgrimages in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and brings flowers to the Virgin every year as a symbol of love and gratitude, “For me it is an honor to come to this pilgrimage every year, I feel blessed and privileged because the Virgin of Guadalupe has always keep our family united in faith and close to God,” Garcia affirmed.

“It is very important to have this event because many people have lost their faith in their journey to this country; if we show them that our Virgin is everywhere and that she never will let us go from her hands, people will regain their faith and also will continue with the traditions that come from our Latin culture. We can never forget who we are, and the Virgin of Guadalupe is an essential part of our roots,” he concluded.