The following story first appeared in the Winter 1999 Glenmary Challenge.
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Para la Virgen
'For the Virgin'
By Father Vic Subb  

I have celebrated the great feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with my Hispanic brothers and sisters in Hamburg, Ark., for the past 10 years. Their love for Mary has made me come to love and honor Mary more.

I hope the personal stories  that follow will also inspire you and draw you into celebrating this December feast "para la Virgen." 

Mother of four, grandmother of two, Irma Roberts rises at 4 a.m. She quickly dresses and wakes her two oldest children. She and eight other neighbors are preparing to make a pilgrimage, walking four miles to Holy Spirit Church in Hamburg, Ark. Today is a special day. It is Dec. 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

It is a dark, cold and misty morning as the small group makes its way south on Highway 425. They sing and pray on the way. When they arrive at the church, they will be joined by 100 other members of the parish to sing and honor Our Lady of Guadalupe during the sunrise service. Irma has walked every Dec. 12  for 20 years. "I walk para la Virgen (for the Virgin)," she says.

Nancy Mondragon enters the church at 5 a.m. carrying a bouquet of roses. She is 19 and a recent high school graduate. She says Mary is like a sweet smelling flower. "I come and give flowers para la Virgen."

Manuel Urbina, 14, arrives with his mother and six siblings. Manuel is tired. He says he is not sure why he is here. "My mom says Mary has a special place in her heart for all Mexicans. I came to honor and sing para la Virgen."

One hundred people pack the Hamburg church. I watch. I listen. I pray. The voices gently sing hymns of honor. Each person has a candle—Mary is a light of hope. All leave the church at 6:30 a.m. to prepare for the fiesta.

It is 7 a.m. and Francisco and Fidelina Juarez are joined by eight others to cook chicken for the celebration later that day. They will cook for 400 Hispanic people who will meet at the fairgrounds for Mass, food and dancing. The fairgrounds are used because our church is not large enough.

The chicken is cooked over a wood stove, making the outside kitchen smoky.

Fidelina's children have been taught about the sacrifices Mary makes for all her children. Fidelina knows the same sacrifices. She smiles and says, "I cook. It is no problem. It is para la Virgen."

At 1 p.m. people start filling the hall at the fairgrounds. A procession around the fairgrounds leads people to Mass. Jorge Bran, the parish Hispanic Council president, runs around making sure everything is in place. As Mass begins, Jorges sounds a sigh of relief.

Chicken, beans and rice make up the menu for the meal following the celebration of the liturgy. The drama of Mary's apparition to Juan Diego is also performed. Antonio Hernandez will play Juan Diego, and he is nervous.

"Drama is a way to express my feeling," he says. "I want to make sure I do it correctly para la Virgen."

Now it's time for native dancing. Those from mountain villages in Mexico—young and old—will perform eight dances which they have been practicing for weeks. Benito Juarez is one who dances the "Dance of the Elderly" in which the young dancers, portraying elderly persons, dance with beautiful masks and costumes. The practice pays off.

"It is no problem to practice long hours," Benito says. "We dance because we love Our Lady of Guadalupe. We dance para la Virgen."