RENOWNED SINGERS TO SERENADE OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE TONIGHT AT CATHEDRAL MAÑANITAS FIESTA
December 11, 2024  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

—Celebration will feature the veneration of the only relic in the U.S. of the tilma of St. Juan Diego, festivities on the Cathedral Plaza, a special Rosary, art exhibit and midnight Mass honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe—

Thousands of faithful are expected to pack the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels tonight in downtown Los Angeles for the annual celebration to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe, on the eve of her Feast Day, where a roster of distinguished singers will serenade the Virgin including renowned Mexican singer-songwriter Ángeles Ochoa and Julián Torres of Hawthorne who is the first mariachi singer to sign with Snoop Dogg’s Death Row Records. Faithful will be able to visit the gilded chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, which houses the only known relic in the U.S. of St. Juan Diego’s tilma or cloak where she miraculously appeared. The celebration will culminate with midnight Mass celebrated by Archbishop José H. Gomez.

“The Virgin of Guadalupe is the Mother of God and she is the Mother of all of God’s children — your mother and my mother,” said Archbishop Gomez. “The Virgin reminds us that beyond the color of our skin or the countries where we come from, we are all brothers and sisters.”

The celebration will commence at 6 p.m. on the Cathedral Plaza with free refreshments and Aztec and Matachines dancers. Following the festivities on the Plaza, at 10 p.m., the celebration will move inside the Cathedral for a Rosary accompanied by Cathedral’s Spanish Choir, followed by a serenade to the Virgin and “Las Mañanitas,” a traditional Mexican birthday song to honor the Virgin on her Feast Day.

This year’s musical tribute, or serenata, will include the following performers accompanied by Mariachi Ángeles de Pepe Martínez, Jr. (for full bios click here):

  • Ángeles Ochoa: renowned Mexican ranchera singer-songwriter nominated by the Billboard Music Awards, Latin Grammy Awards and was won the “Premio Lo Nuestro” for Best New Female Artist
  • Julián Torres: talented mariachi singer from Hawthorne, California and the first mariachi singer to sing with Snoop Dogg’s Death Row Records who earned the “Voice of the Year” award at the Galardones a los Músicos del Mariachi and has performed at Carnegie Hall and Teatro Metropolitan in Mexico City  
  • Carmen Jara: Latin-Grammy nominated singer of Regional Mexican Music, affectionately known as “La Reina del Jaripeo” (The Queen of the Rodeo)
  • Gustavo Hernández: celebrated mariachi and a classical singer, who has been part of several philharmonics and symphonies across country
  • Jacky Ibarra: Los Angeles native, was nominated as best new Christian artist and has performed at the Hollywood Bowl and St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican
  • Stephanie Amaro: Latin Grammy-nominated singer/guitarist and 2019 La Voz US Semifinalist, who will accompany Jacky Ibarra in serenading the Virgin  

Mariachi Ángeles, led by the talented Pepe Martínez, Jr., will be accompanying all singers in serenading Our Lady of Gudalupe. Pepe Jr., draws on over 30 years of on-stage experience and the guidance of his father, the esteemed “Don Pepe,” whom he had the honor of working alongside for 23 years as a member of Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán while honing his craft alongside world-class artists and gracing renowned stages worldwide.

Faithful will also be able to visit a temporary exhibit in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego themed “Manifestaciones de Fe” (“Expressions of Faith”) featuring nine art pieces from renowned local artists Lalo Garcia, Laura Vasquez Rodriguez, J. Michael Walker and Rick Ortega.

The celebration is possible with the support of this year’s presenting partners Catholic Communication Collaboration (C3) and Catholic Cemeteries & Mortuaries of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. We are also grateful for Vallarta Markets, El Gallo Giro and Tacos Gavilan for their donations to the fiesta on the Cathedral Plaza; and EWTN and EWTN Español, Radio Católica, Guadalupe Radio, El Sembrador, and Maria Visión for broadcasting the celebration.

Tonight’s festivities commemorate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe recalling the miraculous apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Saint Juan Diego at Tepeyac Hill, Mexico City, in December 1531, when she left her image on his “tilma” or cloak. Her image has been a symbol of unity, peace, compassion, and hope for people around the world.

The celebration will be livestreamed on the Cathedral’s Facebook and YouTube pages, www.facebook.com/olacathedral and www.youtube.com/olacathedral.  For more information, please visit www.olacathedral.org/guadalupe.

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