Holy Family Homenaje to  Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dec. 11

Elena and Roberto Medina have been parishioners at Holy Family on Corpus Christi’s Westside for 55 years. And for most of those years, Elena has been a faithful member of the Guadalupanas. But one day, Roberto yearned to not only become closer to his wife but also show his love and devotion to the Blessed Mother.

“I have a great love of La Virgen de Guadalupe,” said Roberto Medina. “So, when it was suggested I join the Guadualupanas with my wife, I loved the idea and joined without hesitation.”

Today, membership of the Guadalupanas is around 52 ladies, but more and more couples are joining, noted Silvia Hernandez-Salazar, a leader with the Holy Family chapter of the Guadalupanas.

“It has been awesome seeing husbands and wives participating together. It helps men come to Mass more regularly. It not only helps them grow as a couple but as a person, as a Christian and a Catholic,” she said.

Every year for the last 15-20 years, the Guadalupanas from Holy Family parish have gathered to plan, execute and stage a beautiful event to pay homage to Our Lady of Guadalupe, with the last day culminating in the celebration of her feast day on Dec. 12. The Mexican tradition includes so many moving parts, that it would be impossible to coordinate without the love and passion of the entire church community, with the Guadalupanas leading the way.

“An homenaje is a special way to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe,” said Hernandez-Salazar, a 28-year parishioner at Holy Family and one of the organizers of the yearly event. “Everything starts with a novena, from Dec. 4-12. The homenaje is held on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m., and the week and a half of festivities conclude with the singing of ‘Las Mananitas’ on the last day, Dec. 12, at 6:30 a.m., concluding with a Mass and breakfast immediately afterward.”

An homenaje is not only a celebration to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe, but it’s an event that brings a community together in faith.

“We have a wide variety of groups that perform, including mariachis, matachines (traditional religious dancers dating back centuries), children’s choir and a youth/young adult group that will perform a play,” she said. “We also have several folklorico groups that dance to honor Our Lady.”

The matachines dress in traditional Aztec or Mayan costumes and have a special performance outside to kick off the festivities inside the church. Matachines not only pay tribute to La Virgen de Guadalupe through dance, but they also pay respect to the Church via their interpretive dance and colorful costumes.

“Organizing this event is a lot of work for us, but it’s worth it when we see how our church community comes together. It brings a lot of people back to church that might have left and brings families closer together. We are honored to do this and will continue for as long as possible,” Hernandez-Salazar said.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patron saint of the Diocese of Corpus Christi.

All are invited.