BRADENTON, Fla. — While many around Tampa Bay area are preparing for the Christmas holiday, December 12 marks a significant holiday for Catholics.
The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is an important celebration in Mexico, and it’s an important tradition for the many Mexican-Americans in our community.
“She’s our mother. She’s the mother of all the children but also she’s the patron saint not only of the United States but all of the Americas,” Father Rafal Ligenza said.
Lady of Guadalupe is the name given to the Virgin Mary when she appeared to a Mexican peasant in 1531.
At Acapulco Tropical Bakery Supermarket and Bakery in Bradenton on Thursday, cases and cases were filled with pan dulces, which are traditional Mexican sweet breads.
Staff said they have been busy for several days, as many locals have been buying sweets for their family celebrations.
On Saturday, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Bradenton, will host their own annual celebration. It will begin with a rosary procession starting at 3 p.m. Those gathered will stop along their procession after each of the five decades of the rosary to pray. Each time, they will pray in a different language: Spanish, French, Filipino, Portuguese and English.
For Liliana Ronderos, Director of Religious Education who organizes the annual festivities, it’s about giving back to their community.
“As Latins, we have a great debt to this country that has opened its arms and welcomed immigrants from all over the world, so we want to share our Hispanic heritage,” Ronderos said.
After the rosary procession ends just outside the steps of this church here, everyone will go inside for a special mass to honor our Lady of Guadalupe.
That mass will start with a procession of children dressed in traditional Mexican clothes carrying flowers to the altar, where there will be a statue of Guadalupe.
Afterward, the celebration will continue outside with a dance presentation by a group of local women from Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bradenton wearing traditional Mexican dresses and feathers and carrying drums. Food trucks will also be outside.
“We love our blessed mother and through our Lady of Guadalupe, we know also she appears to different parts of the world, so she’s very important to lots of different cultures,” Ligenza said.
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