As Catholics across the Diocese of Sacramento gather to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of the Americas and one of the patron saints of the diocese, Bishop Jaime Soto and Auxiliary Bishop Rey Bersabal will preside at celebrations in her honor.
On Sunday, Dec. 8, Bishop Soto will preside at a Mass at noon in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, located at 711 T St. in Sacramento. A procession will precede the Mass at 11:30 a.m.
On Wednesday, Dec. 11, Bishop Bersabal will preside at a Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe at 7 p.m. in Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, located at 711 T St. in Sacramento.
On Thursday, Dec. 12, the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Bishop Soto will preside at a Mass at 6 a.m. in St. Anthony Church, located at 511 Main St. in Winters.
On Thursday, Dec. 12, Bishop Soto will also preside at a procession and Mass at 5 p.m. at St. Katharine Drexel Parish, located at 11361 Prospect Dr. in Martell.
Check your parish bulletin and websites for other Masses and celebrations in the diocese in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
In 1910, Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared Patroness of Latin America and in 1945 Pope Pius XII declared her to be the Empress of all of the Americas.
The U.S. bishops have declared the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe to be a day of prayer and solidarity with families of immigrants, with a focus on the plight of refugees and migrants.
December 12 marks the Catholic Church’s annual celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a title ascribed to the Virgin Mary after she appeared to Saint Juan Diego multiple times in 1531. The feast day of December 12 was first established by Pope Benedict XIV in 1754, and Pope John Paul II declared Our Lady of Guadalupe as “Patroness of the Americas” and “Star of the New Evangelization” in 1999. Catholic communities across the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere maintain a strong devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, who is venerated as a symbol of unity in diversity and maternal concern.