Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patron saint of Mexico, the United States and all of the Americas, as well as the protector of unborn children. Her feast day is celebrated on Dec. 12.
Leslie Alverado is one of 35 dancers, a few as young as 4 years old, participating in the celebration. Dianne Towalski / The Catholic SpiritAztec dancers from the Virgin of Guadalupe Ministry of Ascension parish in Minneapolis honored Our Lady of Guadalupe during a celebration at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis Dec. 9. “In the Aztec tradition they honor saints with dance; this is an honorific kind of dance but also a penitential kind of dance. In the same way as we abstain from meat or fast in order to do penance they offer their dance to the point of exhaustion,” said Johan van Parys, Director of Liturgy and Sacred Arts at the Basilica. Normally the group dances barefoot and in the cold on the plaza outside, but moved inside due to heavy snow. Dianne Towalski / The Catholic SpiritParishioners from St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Newton, Wis., arrive at the church Dec. 9 following a three-mile procession in the snow. About 50 people participated in the procession of walkers and vehicles from the Newton post office to the church, where a Spanish Mass was celebrated. CNS photo/Sam Lucero, The Compass
