Religiosidad Popular

Religiosidad Popular is Popular Devotions that have passed on from generation to generation among our Catholic Hispanic people.

I'm taking a course in this subject at the Jesuit School of Theology. We have two teachers for this class.  One teaches Monday and Tuesday, the other one teaches the class on Wednesday-Friday.

Both are excellent teacher, each with their own unique talents.  One of the teachers is Lupita Vital.  She has written three booklets regarding our Hispanic devotions.  Two are about Lent and Advent. The third one is about Our Lady of Guadalupe.

During class Lupita asked us to think or reflect on how Our Lady of Guadalupe has changed  our life.

I thought it will be great to write about this here and share with you.

Well, as a young girl, I always remember there was an image our Lady of Guadalupe in our home.  My mother has one that was crocheted by hand. She had this on her living room wall.

Another tradition that I remember was the processions. In Mexico every 12th of December a big feast is given in almost every parish.  In the town were my father is from.  La Ceja (the brow), Zacatecas.  This is usually the time, most families are busy with their small lands.  So they celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe as their patron saint in the first 12 days of January.  Every day there is a procession from a certain neighborhood or town nearby towards the larger Municipal town of Garcia de la Cadena, Zac.




Above is a small clip of this year's procession.

I remember we will walk for not sure how many miles from our town to the larger town of Garcia.
I was around 14 years old, the first time I was part of a procession.  Most people offer their walks for a special prayer request.  Others do it as gratitude for a special miracle.

Another memory I have, of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe are the Mananitas ( early morning songs).  On the 12th of December, some parishes open their doors at 5 AM to have their parishioners come and sing song to our Lady of Guadalupe.  I remember doing this a few times at the parish of St. Elizabeth in Oakland, CA. When ever, possible I will stay up to see the live broadcast from Mexico city on TV.

When I was attending the Christian Church.  I drifted away from some of my Catholic traditions.  Not because I was told I had to, but because I felt it was not pleasing to God to give so much special attention to someone else.  One day while reading the bible in Revelations Chapter 12.  I read the description of a lady that appeared in the sky.  The description is so much like the image of our Lady of Guadalupe.

I felt sad, that I had put aside a special devotion to our Lady of Guadalupe.  Mary was a special woman in the life of Jesus.  She was the one who carried him for 9 month in her womb.  She cared for Jesus in his childhood years.  How can we not have a special love for her.  Of course I will never put her above God, but she will always have a special place in my heart.