ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ WELCOMES FAITHFUL BACK TO RESUMED IN-PERSON TRIBUTE TO OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE AT CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS
December 12, 2021  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

–Singers serenaded the Virgin of Guadalupe at Cathedral on Dec. 11, including a duo of women religious, an all-female Mariachi group and a singer and a voice over actress of Disney’s“Encanto”–

Archbishop José H. Gomez welcomed faithful to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles during the annual midnight Dec. 12 Mass to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe, after celebrating the Feast virtually last year due to the ongoing pandemic. The Archbishop reminded the faithful that during this 490th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego,  we celebrate that all countries in North and South America are under her loving care and protection. 

 “Tonight, is the 490th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe! This is the true founding of America,” said Archbishop Gomez. “The Virgin came to bring Jesus — not only to Mexico, but to all the Americas. This country, every country in North and South America, are under her mantle, under her loving protection and care. We thank God tonight and we dedicate ourselves again to Mary’s mission of bringing Jesus to our country and all people.” Attached is Archbishop Gomez’s full homily as it was prepared.

The annual celebration began at 6 p.m. with indigenous dancers and a time for veneration of the relic of the tilma of St. Juan Diego, on which the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared 490 years ago. The Cathedral is home to the only relic of the tilma outside of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. At 10 p.m., the celebration continued inside the Cathedral with a special Rosary, followed by a performance by the all-female Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas. The musical tribute, or serenata, began at 11 p.m., with guest singers who serenaded the Virgin and sang “Las Mañanitas,” a traditional Mexican birthday song to honor the Virgin on her Feast Day. Livestream of the celebration is available at www.youtube.com/user/olacathedral.

Among those participating in leading the faithful in the Rosary at 10 p.m. was sacred artist Lalo Garcia, who is featured in the LA Catholics video series by the Digital Office of the Archdiocese that can be seen on lacatholics.org/guadalupe-490. Garcia is the creator of innumerable art pieces featuring Our Lady of Guadalupe in parishes and on murals throughout Los Angeles and other cities in the country and in Latin America. Garcia’s artwork includes the paintings shown on the projected illuminations unveiled on Dec. 9 on the walls of the Cathedral of Our lady of the Angels, which show the story of the apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego the design of the vestment worn by Pope St. John Paul II in his visit to L.A. in 1987, and the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Cathedral’s Plaza. He also oversaw the development of the mural next to the shrine, which includes Talavera tiles from Puebla, Mexico.

“Painting is my language, so I try to write into my painting so that people can actually see something, so they can read into something, and that will be a bridge to connect,” said Garcia, originally from La Cieneguita, a small rancho in the Mexican state of Michoacan. “My studio is my peace and in here I create using all the elements of art in the best way I can. Once an art piece leaves this space and goes on its journey to its permanent place it is no longer mine. The piece that I created in the studio as a work of art has become sacred because the people have made it sacred. I didn’t do that.”

The artists that serenated “La Morenita” are:

    • Mariachi Lindas Mexicanas – founded in Boyle Heights, California in 2007 by Maricela Martinez. Every performance by these gifted women is filled with passion, beauty, charisma and demonstrates their love for their art and culture.
    • Jacky Ibarra – a Los Angeles native, Jacky began her career at the age of four. This is her 13th year singing Las Mañanitas to La Virgen de Guadalupe. In summer 2011, Jacky was chosen to sing at St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, and at St. Francis of Assisi and Santa Maria La Mayor. She was one of the 25 finalists among 35,000 contestants at “La Academia de La Última Generacion,” Mexico’s version of American Idol. Her first album, “Acércate a Mí” rose to No. 3 on the Christian charts and she was nominated for Best New Christian Artist.
    • Berenice Amador – a Mexican-American professional singer and voice over actress, who is best known for her vocal work on Disney’s Animated Film “Encanto.”  She earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Cal State L.A., where she majored in Music. She also enjoys a career as a music educator and has been teaching music and voice for several years.  Her credits also include DreamWorks Trolls, Disney’s Elena of Avalor and FXs’ American Horror Story. Berenice is also a proud member of Sag-Aftra. 
    • Julian Torres – born in Hawthorne to Mexican parents, singer and songwriter Julian Torres grew up singing Mexico’s music at many events, including church carnivals. As a child, he was inspired to become a Mariachi musician after seeing a children Mariachi band. After being part of Mariachi bands, recording with other musicians for the past 25 years, Julian is now a solo artist, which has given him the opportunity to travel and perform on many prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, and Teatro Metropolitan in Mexico City. He has also performed for U.S. troops in Okinawa, Japan. He is currently promoting his newly released EP, “Época de Oro.”
    • The Poor of Jesus Christ – a duo formed by twin sisters and also religious women Sister Luz and Sister Magdala. Their charism began on October 23, 2001, founded by Father Gilson Sobreiro and Sr. Servant of the hidden Wounds of the Crucified. In Los Angeles they serve the poor who reside on Skid Row and the women in prostitution located on Figueroa Street, South Central.
    • Mario Alberto Perez – originally from Mexico, he is an engineer by profession, with a vocation as a singer-songwriter and evangelizer through music and preaching. Since 2000 he began to travel as a missionary in different countries, such as Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica, many parts of Mexico, and nearly all the states in the USA.
    • Alex Venegas – has been in the music apostolate for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for 30 years. He is a composer and directs the Hispanic music ministry at St. Mark Parish in Venice. Guadalupano by birth, he is an admirer of Marian compositions, and he says it is an honor to pay homage to Santa María de Guadalupe in this celebration so important, especially for the Latino community.

The celebration recalls the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to St. Juan Diego at Tepeyac, Mexico, in December 1531, when she left her image on his tilma, or cloak. The relic, or piece of the tilma inside the Cathedral was a present to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles from the Archbishop of Mexico City in appreciation and friendship after Los Angeles Archbishop John J. Cantwell led a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City in the early 1940s. Given the natural agave fibers used to make the tilma, experts say it is miraculous that the relic at the Cathedral in Los Angeles, and the rest of the tilma in Mexico City, have survived for almost five centuries.

The event is made possible thanks to the support of the of the Catholic Cemeteries and Mortuaries of the Archdiocese, C3-Catholic Communication Collaboration, and Vallarta Supermarkets. For more information, please visit http://www.olacathedral.org/guadalupe/ and www.youtube.com/user/olacathedral.

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