Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration

PARSIPPANY  On the vigil of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dec. 11, hope sprang eternal among the members of St. Peter the Apostle Parish here, who showed a display of unity, all directed to the Mother of God.

More than 1,000 people filled the church to standing room only for the feast day celebration, which included a multilingual rosary, a procession of couples with candles to symbolize the gift of family and a procession of children as a reminder that Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patron of Life. A procession was also held with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a depiction of the Blessed Mother when she appeared before St. Juan Diego on Dec. 12, 1531 in Mexico. One thousand pink roses surrounded the image and filled the altar. Msgr. Herbert Tillyer, pastor, who will celebrate his 50th anniversary in the priesthood next year, gave the homily in English with Father Yohaneider Ramirez, parochial vicar, preaching in Spanish.

On. Dec. 6, the parish also celebrated a “Torch Mass,” which included Aztec Dancers, representing the “reconciliation dance,” a symbolic dance performed by Native Americans to the Spanish Europeans in an effort to bring unity. Also “La Antorcha Guadalupana,” which translates to the Torch of Our Lady of Guadalupe, was present at the Mass. This torch, which is meant to bring hope, originated in Mexico City and was carried by a group of people, known as the Tepeyec Association, for more than 70 days throughout the United States. It made a visit at St. Peter’s before traveling to its final stop on the tour at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on Dec. 12.

Msgr. Tillyer was especially touched to have the torch at the Mass and held it high for the community. “It was truly awesome that our community could be a part of the torch’s tour. I felt privileged to hold it. Seeing the people’s faces, they were touched by the experience,” he said.

While the Blessed Mother’s title as Our Lady of Guadalupe is associated as a devotion for Mexicans, many around the world celebrate the feast. At St. Peter’s, the parish invited the whole community to be involved in the celebration, which included Americans, Filipinos, Indians and Hispanics from 15 different countries. A multilingual universal prayer was also said in English, Mixtec dialect, Ewe — the language spoke in Ghana, Tagalog, Spanish, Hindi, French, Chinese and Latin. Following the Mass, a reception was held featuring ethnic foods and Mariachi music, a Mexican tradition when celebrating the feast.

Father Ramirez said, “There was a lot of happiness at the Mass. The message of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a message for all people that she is the spiritual mother and protector of all. She really did a miracle putting so many different people together. No matter what culture we come from, we are looking to the same goal and that is coming closer to Jesus Christ. He is the same for everyone.”

Attending the Mass was Doris Newman, a parishioner of St. Vincent Martyr in Madison, who came at the invitation of Father Ramirez, whom she got to know when he was a seminarian. “This was the most beautiful Mass I’ve ever seen,” she said. “Everyone wore his or her native dress and it was special to see that. The altar was decorated with pink roses and every woman in attendance received one of these roses.”

Also at the Mass was Ivan Torres, with his wife, Diana Sanchez, who have been parishioners of St. Peter’s for a few years. “One moment that felt really powerful was when Msgr. Tillyer asked everyone to say the ‘Our Father’ in their native language. What a ‘wow’ moment to hear it. I saw Msgr. Tillyer’s face and he looked so happy,” said Torres.