St. Jospeh Catholic Church participated in their yearly feast of celebrating the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe at the parish.
Sunday evening, community members and the dancing group called Danza La Guadalupana gathered in the St. Joseph Catholic Church court outside of the parish as traditional drum beats complemented the jingle bells on the custom-made Aztec attire from the traditional Guadalupe Dancers of all ages.
Father Crispine Adongo of St. Joseph Catholic Church elaborates on the significance of the feast and celebrations.
The Roman Catholic Church has declared Our Lady of Guadalupe as Patroness of the Americas. This apparition is traced back to occur in front of Juan Diego in 1531, which occurred just outside of Mexico City. It is a time of great celebration and deep reverence.
Bishop Charles C. Thompson of the Diocese of Evansville celebrated the mass and was accompanied by Director Sharon Burns who expressed that, “dedicating this celebration broadens the experience for all to engage in various communities and the way Our Lady of Guadalupe is honored through various cultures yet within the same Catholic faith”.
The St. Joseph Catholic Church Hispanic Coordinator, Yesica Miranda, describes that it’s important to bring all of the Jasper community together for a common goal to experience a joyous occasion and talks about the preparation for the event.
Miranda states that while sometimes it leads up to 3 months to prepare for the feast with organization the food, mariachi band, and much more in the end it turns to be a successful event as everyone from the Jasper community contributes their time and efforts to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe.
49-year old Ramiro Flores-Gonzalez of Huntingburg is one of the main coordinators for the Guadalupe Dancers and explained that it takes at least 3 to 4 months to prepare the dancing routine and that being involved has been a tradition for him since being 8 years old in Mexico.
11-years old Erika Escobedo-Salais is the youngest of the Guadalupe dancers and shared with us that she enjoys dancing and partaking in the traditions.
Traditions and celebrations passed down from generations is one of the characteristics that Jasper and Dubois County in general pride themselves in and celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is certainly among them.
