ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ TO CELEBRATE SPECIAL MASS AT THE BASILICA OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE IN MEXICO CITY WITH MORE THAN 200 PILGRIMS
June 22, 2023  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

–Archbishop to present hundreds of prayer intentions from the community of faith at July 8 Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe–

More than 200 pilgrims from Southern California and New York will join Archbishop José H. Gomez for Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, on Saturday, July 8 at 10 a.m. PDT (11 a.m. CST). The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe houses the original tilma (or cloak) of Juan Diego, which holds the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that appeared in 1531. Pilgrims will travel with a parish pilgrimage group or individually marking the 4th year of the pilgrimage which had paused in 2020-2022 due to the pandemic.

“It’s great to be going back to Guadalupe,” said Archbishop Gomez. “It is truly a blessing that so many people will be able to join me for this pilgrimage of love and joy to pay homage to Our Blessed Mother, who is the cause of so many blessings in our lives. ¡Que Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!”

Parochial groups from St. Lorenzo Ruiz in Walnut, Holy Trinity in Atwater Village, Presentation of Mary in Los Angeles, Our Lady of Rosary in Paramount, and St. Agnes in New York will travel to Mexico City on different dates, some departing on July 5 and returning July 11. Some of the parochial groups will visit landmarks such as the Santa Maria Tulpetlac Church (site of the fifth apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe), Teotihuacan Pyramids, and the Sanctuary of Santo Toribio, patron of immigrants, in Jalisco, Guadalajara. All pilgrims will be present for the Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe on July 8.

“We are visiting our Mother to thank her for healing me from prostate cancer. After I was diagnosed with cancer more than a year ago, we began praying for healing to Our Lady of Guadalupe, and after a surgery done four months ago, medical doctors have declared me cancer free and I have returned to my daily activities,” said Francisco Vargas, a leader of the Guadalupanos Group at St. Lorenzo Ruiz Parish in Walnut, together with his wife Teresa.

So that our all our faithful brothers and sisters may participate, prayer intentions for the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe – which were collected at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day, all 11 locations of the Catholic Cemeteries and Mortuaries and online – will be presented to Our Lady at the Mass at the Basilica on July 8. 

For nearly 500 years, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has been the symbol of hope, peace and love, uniting peoples around the world as one family of God. The Basilica at Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world. Please visit https://lacatholics.org/pilgrimage/ for more information.

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