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“Enter, holy pilgrims”
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December 22, 2023"In the name of Heaven, I ask you for a place in the inn, for my beloved wife cannot walk."
It is the song of pilgrims who, in the name of St. Joseph, seek a place for him and his wife, Mary, to shelter them from the cold and the dangers of the night.
It is a remembrance of the journey that St. Joseph and the Virgin Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem, obeying an edict that obliged them to register. The Spanish Missionaries seeking to evangelize the Latin American peoples, particularly Mexico, started the Posadas in the first centuries of the colonization of America. This tradition is followed in many parts of the world, taking different forms that began in the churches as a Novena to get into the spirit of Christmas.
In many Corpus Christi parishes, the Posadas are celebrated – in some, all nine days; in others, only once or on the weekend days. The community of Our Lady of St. John, Mother of the Church, celebrated its Posada on December 16. This coincided with the evening Mass of the third Sunday of Advent: a day of joy and hope “because the Child God, the Savior, is going to be born,” Father Juan Fernando Gaméz said in his homily.
All the parish ministries contributed to the organization of their posada, which more than 200 people attended. Praying the Rosary and singing Christmas carols, they walked through some streets of Los Encinos. They stopped at two houses asking for lodging for the Holy Family, which was denied; not so in the third house where they sing all together: "Enter Holy Pilgrims, receive this corner. Although the dwelling is poor, I give it to you from my heart.”
Inside, the Christmas story was narrated and acted out by the children preparing for their First Communion.
The families gathered in the Parish Hall enjoyed the food and conversations while the children and youth broke the piñata, a symbol of sin, which Faith breaks to be born to the life of grace.
Sacred Heart Parish carries on a tradition of more than 30 years, started by the family of Juanita Nevarez and supported by all the parish ministries. Each one of them takes very seriously the organization of 9 posadas in the original style of the Church.
On Sunday, December 17, the Posada was prepared by the Guadalupanas, coordinated by their president, Hilda Hernandez. The families gathered to pray in the parish hall with Father Julian Cabrera, who accompanied them, singing and praying the rosary in a procession around the streets near the parish. Each mystery of the rosary was accompanied by a Gospel reading to meditate on the life of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
For the Sacred Heart parish community, preserving these traditions is a tie that binds them together and enlivens their childhood memories in their home country, as well as teaching the new generations a tradition centered on the meaning of Christmas.
