ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ REMINDS FAITHFUL THAT JESUS IS TO BE ESPECIALLY PRESENT IN THE FAMILY DURING MASS AT THE BASILICA OF GUADALUPE IN MEXICO CITY
July 6, 2024  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

—“Faith grows in the family,” the Archbishop told hundreds of pilgrims visiting from different parishes in the Archdiocese, as part of the fifth annual pilgrimage to the Basilica—

MEXICO CITY, MX — More than 300 faithful from eight parishes of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles joined Archbishop José H. Gomez today as part of the Archdiocese’s fifth pilgrimage to the Basilica Of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, the home of the original tilma (or cloak) of St. Juan Diego, which holds the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that appeared in 1531, revered as a symbol of hope, peace, love and unity.

In his homily, Archbishop Gomez called on the pilgrims and those in attendance to be missionary disciples, “Our vocation is to really bring Jesus to all areas of our lives, especially to our families.” The full homily can be found on lacatholics.org/pilgrimage/. Please see photos and videos of the pilgrimage here.

“As we know, Mary Our Blessed Mother went all the way to St. Elizabeth’s house bringing the child Jesus, and then Our Lady of Guadalupe brought Jesus also here to (the Hill of) Tepeyac. That’s our vocation, to really bring Jesus to the people of our time, especially to our families. Faith is born in our family,” said Archbishop Gomez. “As we come today in this pilgrimage one more time as sons and daughters of Mary Our Blessed Mother, we come back to the house of our mother, and we remember those beautiful words of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Juan Diego, ‘Am I not your mother, are you not under my shadow and gaze, am I not the source of your joy’.”

“And as sons and daughters of God, we are called to live like our mother, which means glorifying God with our life. Telling the world about the great things that God has done for us through Jesus,” added Archbishop Gomez.

At the end of the Mass, the pilgrims, which included people originally (or descendants) from Mexico, Central America, and the Philippines, were challenged to take at least five people with them on next year’s pilgrimage to the Basilica of Guadalupe.

Together with Archbishop Gomez, nine priests and two seminarians from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, all were greeted by the Rector Emeritus of the Basilica of Guadalupe, Msgr. Diego Monroy, who called the Basilica the “Noble home of all who live in the Americas, not just for Mexicans.”

He expressed great joy to receive the U.S. pilgrims, “You are (Our Mother’s) little children, beloved migrants and beloved by Our Mother, never forget it,” he said, addressing the pilgrims. “You always share your values, you share this family unity, your honesty and joy for the work with which you contribute to the great North American nation. We always pray for all of you, my dear brothers and sisters, for Archbishop and for the priests. We put you all in the heart of Our Lady of the Skies so she, with her beating heart, full of love, can express and manifest in all the pastoral work you do at the great Archdiocese of Los Angeles.”

On behalf of Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, Archbishop of Mexico City, Msgr. Monroy handed Archbishop Gomez a book containing testimonials they collect daily at the Basilica from the thousands of faithful that visit the temple from all over the world.

Among the pilgrims attending the Mass, which ended with chants of “Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!” led by Archbishop Gomez,  was a mother and advocate of children with special needs who serve as altar servers, a woman who suffered burns to her body on a work accident, two couples who will celebrate their 51st and 27th wedding anniversary and Víctor Alemán, a photographer of the Archdiocese for nearly four decades, who was also the photographer of farm workers leader Cesar Chavez. Many of them joined the pilgrimage for the first time. They also attended a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Gomez at Mexico City’s Metropolitan Cathedral on Friday, July 5, and a welcoming Mass at their hotel on Thursday, July 4. 

“This is my opportunity to give thanks to Our Lady of Guadalupe for helping me return to the Church, helping me after my husband’s passing and to be the caregiver of my 14-year-old son who suffers from autism, ADHD and OCD,” said Elynour Quan, who is of Filipino descent. Her husband of 24 years died in 2018, and she is currently an advocate of special needs children who serve as altar servers at her parish, St. Lorenzo Ruiz in Walnut. She is visiting the Basilica for the first time.

“I came to thank the Virgin for helping me fulfill the goal to bring a replica of her image to my church, St. Pancratius in Lakewood, as well as give thanks for my marriage, for my family and for world’s peace,” said Maria Tavarez, a declared “Guadalupana” since she was born in Jalisco, Mexico. She is married to Luis Barreras, of Cuban descent. This is the first time the couple joined the pilgrimage to the Basilica. The trip was his surprise present to her on their 27th wedding anniversary.

The eight parishes represented during the pilgrimage include the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, St. Rose of Lima and Our Lady of Rosary in Paramount, St. Lorenzo Ruiz in Walnut, Incarnation in Glendale, St. Augustine in Culver City, Our Lady of the Rosary of Talpa in East LA, and Presentation of Mary in LA.

For more information about the 2024 Pilgrimage to the Basilica of Guadalupe and to see full homily, visit lacatholics.org/pilgrimage/. Please see photos and videos of the pilgrimage here.

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