La Luna y El Sol: La Promesa de Guadalupe

A celebration of community, faith, and culture in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe

by Eddie Ventura, Mission and Ministry Center | December 12, 2024

In honoring the rich Latinx culture on campus, last week Saint Mary’s College continued its annual celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico. Declared Patroness of the Americas by Pope John Paul II, La Virgen is a source of hope for those who are poor, oppressed, and marginalized.

Although the Catholic Church celebrates her feast day on December 12 each year, our campus community has been celebrating La Virgen the week(s) before finals for the last 13 years. The celebrations, led by the Mission and Ministry Center, include events such as Candlelight Rosary and Loteria Night, all culminating into the Friday’s celebration, always with a procession, liturgy, and fiesta.

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Danza Azteca – OLG

A Vision on the Hill

December 12, 1531 marks the day when, ten years after the defeat of the Aztec empire in Mexico by the Spanish, Our Lady made an appearance to an indigenous peasant, Juan Diego, on the hill of Tepeyac. In the language of the native peoples, Nahuatl, La Virgen shared her desire for a church to be built so that she could show and bestow her love, compassion, help, and protection to all who call upon her and confide in her.

The Saint Mary’s celebration honoring La Virgen draws on half a millennium of faith tradition. And, thanks to a student, the celebration became something much grander and more inclusive just over a decade ago. When Yadira Guerruero-Garcia ’15 arrived on campus as a first-year student, she wanted to share her love for the Blessed Virgin Mary with the rest of the campus, envisioning a celebration that could be broader and more inviting. And so it has become an opportunity for the community to learn more about Our Lady of Guadalupe and participate in cultural traditions.

This Year’s Celebration

This year, our theme, “La Luna y El Sol: La Promesa de Guadalupe (The Moon and Sun: Guadalupe’s Promise),” challenged us to look at Our Lady of Guadalupe from a different perspective. 

La Virgen depicts her own image on the tilmàtli of Juan Diego. Although assumed that this image was intended to be a sign for the Archbishop of Mexico, we must remember that La Virgen offered the Archbishop roses from her first apparition. Her message, promise, and image is for the people of the land.

For the indigenous people (the people she first appeared to – through Juan Diego), they see a woman that looks just like them, adorned by their deity, and symbols of the divine. With the Moon at her feet and the Sun behind her, she shares her promise of motherly love, compassion, liberation, and protection.

As people residing on this land, we are faced with asking ourselves: What message does she bring to me? How does her image help me understand and further my own faith, spirituality, or worldview? What motherly inspiration can I draw from her? How is she inspiring me to create a more just and humane world?

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OLG Procession

How We Celebrated

December 2 | Learn Baile Folklorico 

December 3 | Candlelight Rosary for Peace 

December 4 | Loteria Night

December 6 | Our Lady of Guadalupe Fiesta

Danza Azteca | 5:30 p.m. | Chapel Plaza

Rosary Procession | 6 p.m. | Chapel Plaza
Mariachi Mass and 
Liturgy | 7 p.m. | SMC Chapel

Fiesta | 8:15 p.m. | Soda Center

Attended by about 400 Saint Mary’s College students, faculty, staff, alumni, families and other guests, our celebration on December 6 featured Danza Azteca, with the Chapel facade illuminated by Our Lady of Guadalupe. Following the Danza Azteca, the traditional procession through campus led to a special Mariachi Mass in the Saint Mary’s Chapel. The Fiesta began shortly after the Mass in the Soda Center. A buffet dinner catered by the much-loved Salsa Verde restaurant featured live Banda music, a raffle, performances by Ballet Folklorico Guadalupano, and dancing late into the night.

This was all made possible by generous donors and sponsors, collaborators, and vendors.

Sponsors:

Office of Student Life through the Student Enhancement Fee
Cummins Institute for Catholic Thought, Culture, and Action
Student Activities and Engagement
A generous donation in honor of Nelly Castro
Donors who gave during 1 Day 1 SMC in April

Collaborators:

Campus Activities Board
Ballet Folklórico Guadalupano
Intercultural Center
Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Meetings, Events, and Conferences Services
Office of Marketing and Communications
Facilities and Able Services
IT Services
Kayla Redman and Jason Jakaitis for the projection of the image of La Virgen on the Chapel
The Gael Dining
This year’s OLG Committee and 
Mission and Ministry Center Student Leaders and Staff

Vendors:

Danza Xitlalli
Mariachi Monumental
Banda Rio Verde
Salsa Verde Restaurant 

View images of this year's celebration

Photos by Richard Trinh (MarCom) and Rianna Aquino (MMC)

We look forward to next year’s celebration!

Learn more about our annual celebration here.

For more information, contact Eddie Ventura (edv1@stmarys-ca.edu)