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CV NEWS FEED // On Dec. 7, more than 7,000 Catholics attended a Mass and procession in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe ahead of her Dec. 12 feast day.
AZ Central reports that the event, called Honra Tu Madre (Honor Your Mother), has taken place in the Diocese of Phoenix for about 20 years. Bishop John Dolan celebrated the Mass.
The celebration corresponded with the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in France. Bishop Dolan said that St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Basilica, where the Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe was said, rang its bells after Mass in honor of the reopening of the cathedral.
“It was a nice celebration for us to celebrate Our Lady, Our Lady of Notre Dame, as we are celebrating Our Lady, Our Lady of Guadalupe,” Dolan said.
After the Mass, the faithful, including troupes of dancers representing Latin American, Asian, and African cultures, marched in a procession for a mile through downtown Phoenix.
“Dressed in gigantic, marigold-adorne, sombrero-like hats and masks with thick faux facial hair,” AZ Central reports, “during the procession several dancers were spinning and kicking their feet in rhythm to the tlacololero, a traditional dance originating in Guerrero, Mexico.”
There were also matachines, dancers dressed in rattles and colorful clothes representing various regions of Mexico. One of these dancers, Crizeida Avitia, has danced in her father’s troupe for around 20 years.
She said that the dance expresses gratitude, “giving back our thanks to Our Lady of Guadalupe; showing our thanks to Saint Jude, God, and any other saints.”
