Celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe

Rudy Rodriguez, left, and Cora Garcia participate in the 2017 Our Lady of Guadalupe procession along Morton Street in Yuba City.

PLEASE RECYCLE NEWSPAPER AFTER READING

Cora Garcia has fond memories from her childhood of massive Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrations in Mexico, and said the local event this weekend is an extension of that.

Garcia, 57, of Yuba City, is with the Guadalupana Association of St. Isidore and she expects hundreds to attend their annual processional Sunday.

“I started doing it in Mexico when I was little and it was one of the many beautiful traditions growing up. I remember dressing up as an Indian and everyone was involved,” she said. “It’s one of the biggest events in Mexico and, as a Catholic, it’s an important event.”

Our Lady of Guadalupe, also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe, is a Catholic title for the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with an image enshrined within the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

The procession starts at the Richland Housing Center at 11:30 a.m. and wraps up at St. Isidore Catholic Church, where a mass will take place at 1 p.m.

“I see the procession and the faith that people have, and the passion they have for dancers and floats and everyone dressing up as Juan Diego and the Virgin Mary – it has a powerful impact