VIDEO AND IMAGES OF TODAY’S SEND-OFF BLESSING FOR PILGRIM IMAGES OF VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE AND ST. JUAN DIEGO TRAVELING TO CATALINA ISLAND
October 23, 2021  |  By:   |  Press Releases  |  

—The images and a delegation of faithful are now on Catalina for a special visit to St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish,

where they will be welcomed by faithful with a procession, rosary and Mass—

This morning, after a week of prayer and veneration at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, the pilgrim images of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego received a send-off blessing from Auxiliary Bishop Marc Trudeau for the San Pedro Pastoral Region, at 7:30 a.m., at the Long Beach Port (Mother’s Beach, 5839 Appian Way, Long Beach, CA  90803) before the images were transported by boat to St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish on Catalina Island. The images were welcomed with a procession through the streets of Catalina, a bilingual (English/Spanish) Mass and Rosary. A delegation of faithful from different parishes in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles traveled to the island to accompany the images for this special visit.

Video of this morning’s send-off can be found here, and a photo of the event can be found here (video and photo credit: Tom Hoffarth, Angelus News). Additional photos of the blessing and the events at Catalina Island are available upon request. Interviews with members of the visiting delegation of faithful on Catalina Island via zoom can be coordinated by contacting Doris Benavides at (310) 221-2948.

The annual pilgrimage of the images to parishes and cemeteries throughout the tri-county Archdiocese of Los Angeles serves as spiritual preparation for the faithful leading up to the 90th Procession and Mass honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 5, which is the oldest religious procession in Los Angeles. La Peregrina, a pilgrim image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, is an exact digital reproduction of the original image in Mexico City’s Basilica, which has been blessed and touched to the original image. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and one of St. Juan Diego were gifts hand-delivered to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by Monsignor Diego Monroy, then Rector of Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City. Her image has been a symbol of unity, peace, compassion, and hope for people around the world. For more information about the pilgrimage, visit lacatholics.org/guadalupe. To contribute to Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego celebrations, click here.

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