Archbishop of Detroit to celebrate Mass for Feasts of St. Juan Diego, Our Lady of Guadalupe

Archbishop of Detroit Allen H. Vigneron will celebrate Mass for the Feast of St. Juan Diego in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 9 at Detroit’s Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.

All are welcome. The Cathedral is located at 9844 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, between Chicago Boulevard and the Davison Freeway.

Preceding Mass, praying of the Rosary will begin at 5:15 p.m. followed by chants and performances at 5:45 p.m. The event will also be livestreamed through Archdiocese of Detroit social media channels and at aod.org/livemasses.

Visitors and media are encouraged to wear masks and observe social distancing procedures inside the Cathedral.

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is Dec. 12. As this date falls on a Sunday this year, the Archdiocese is honoring the Blessed Mother with a Mass on the Dec. 9 feast day of her loyal messenger, St. Juan Diego.

Some parishes in the Archdiocese have also planned special liturgies and events, both in-person and livestreamed, in recognition of the special devotion to Our Lady among many members of the faithful.

“The apparition of our Blessed Mother Mary to St. Juan Diego as Our Lady of Guadalupe, speaking in his native language, affirmed the respect and inherent dignity of all of God’s children,” said Dr. Marlon De La Torre, Director of Evangelization and Missionary Discipleship for the Archdiocese of Detroit. “Through her messages to Juan Diego, she brought triumphant focus to Jesus Christ for the whole world and eventually became known as Patroness of the Americas.

“Hispanics throughout the world, especially in our Mexican communities, have a sincere and loving devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe because she identified and embraced the people of God in Mexico and brought them closer to Christ.”

St. Juan Diego was a Chichimec peasant, teacher/catechist, and Marian visionary who was granted apparitions of the Virgin Mary on four occasions in December 1531. He is the first Catholic saint indigenous to the Americas, having been beatified in 1990 and canonized in 2002 by Pope John Paul II. His visions became the basis of the veneration of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which today is ubiquitous in Mexico, prevalent throughout the Spanish-speaking Americas, and increasingly widespread beyond.

Notes to media:

• Reporters, photographers, and videographers are invited to cover Mass at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. To arrange for coverage, or to inquire about services at any of our other parishes, please contact Michelle St. Pierre at (313) 805-1408 or stpierre.michelle@aod.org.
• Parishes throughout the Archdiocese have effective measures in place to keep everyone safe at Mass, including spaces set aside where masks are worn and social distancing are observed.
• To preserve the dignity of the services being covered, we ask that camera operators refrain from using flashes, or any form of artificial lighting, and that special care be taken not to impede procession for Holy Communion. Thank you in advance for heeding any instructions you may receive from parish and archdiocesan personnel.
  

###