NEW YORK – One of the most awaited moments by devotees of the Catholic faith and of the Virgin of Guadalupe arrives in our area. That’s because the La Morenita del Tepeyac torch arrived over the weekend in the New Jersey, Passaic and Elizabeth areas after a three-month trip from Mexico City.
Early Monday morning he continued his journey and crossed the George Washington Bridge into New York City. Neither the snow nor the cold prevented the faithful faithful of the Virgin of Guadalupe from participating in the great celebration of a tradition that began 20 years ago. It started with the hope of immigration reform by the Tepeyac Association.
Erika, mother of 4 children, is one of many who got up early to run long kilometers in the name of the Virgin Morena and to thank her for a great miracle that, according to her, the Virgin of Guadalupe performed for her in Puebla.
“I had bacteria in my throat and I couldn’t eat. I was in the hospital for two years and then I went to Virgin and thanks to you I’m here,” said Erika Titla, who did the tour.
Beginning at 2:00 on Monday, worshipers departed from St. Patrick’s Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where there was also a tour this Sunday, with dancing, mariachis and even morning sings for the 491 years of the Virgin of Guadalupe. .
Traveling through New York City, the torch visits different places, such as Central Park, until it reaches the United Nations.
Luis Alejandro Medina with information.
Throughout the Big Apple, activities are taking place in the name of the Virgin of Guadalupe, who is 491 years old.
Devotion to the Empress of the Americas is not unique to her Mexican people in the tri-state region, as immigrants of various nationalities also commemorate her appearance on December 12, 1531 atop Tepeyac Hill, according to the history of the Catholic Church. .
The Patroness of Mexico allegedly appeared four times to Juan Diego, an indigenous native of Cuautitlán who was desperately seeking help for his sick uncle. History establishes that the first official celebration was recorded in 1667 by order of Pope Clement IX, who established December 12 as a feast in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
The Tepeyac Association, founded in the Big Apple in 1997 by the Guadeloupe committees of our area, organized the first Mexico-New York Guadeloupe Torchlight Procession in 2002, for a period of 45 days. In that year the runners started from the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City with their final destination at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York.
The race captains explain that the Torch goes beyond religious tradition, as its ultimate goal is to promote inclusive and humanitarian immigration reform. The 4,000-mile route between Mexico City and New York seeks to add support to the movement to legalize undocumented migrants and reaffirm the defense of their human, labor and civil rights.
The Torch represents not only faith in the Patroness of Mexico, but also the hope of immigrant communities in the Big Apple and across the nation.
Open here for more details on this year’s activities.
Mass in the Cathedral of San Patricium: information here. The Cathedral’s Virgin of Guadalupe came from the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Manhattan. It’s a different flashlight than the one that traveled from Mexico.
Yolanda Vásquez with the report.
