For a few years, Spirit of Christ Catholic Community has not celebrated Our Lady of Guadalupe feast day. There was a time when a huge party was held on her day with music, processions, piñatas and food but for whatever reasons nothing has been done for about the past five years. This year the Liturgist decided to plan a Fiesta for Our Lady. She asked for volunteers and about nine people agreed to help in the planning. The first meeting was well organized and volunteers got their assignments. I did not volunteer for any spot but it was suggested that I be on the welcoming committee and I agreed. I would greet people attending and get them to their seat.
The decorating committee of two began to plan how to decorate and when they saw that the flowers in storage from previous years were raggedy and not useable, they decided to make new colorful flowers. I found a kit on Amazon and ordered it and from there began the assembly line of making flowers. There are five of us that hang together and they were excited and willing to help make the flowers!
A total of nine persons made over 300 tissue flowers. I am excited to see how the decorations will turn out for the evening of the Fiesta because the flowers are so colorful! The decorating committee was also responsible for finding fresh roses and the best deal was through Costco. One hundred roses will be needed for a procession to Her picture and the roses will be placed in empty vases until every vase is filled with the sweet-smelling flowers! The roses represent the roses that were in Juan Diego's tilma. (A poncho like covering). When he opened his tilma the roses fell out showing the miracle since it was winter and there were no roses growing at that time. He was finally believed that he had seen a beautiful lady and she had asked him to tell the church officials to build a church in her name.
I took a CD of music of the time she appeared to Juan Diego and it is solemn drumming and flute music recorded by the cathedral choir of San Antonio, Texas. Another person brought Las Mañanitas, the traditional birthday song in Mexico. In Mexico and parts of the United States, like Texas and California, famous artists gather around Her picture to sing Las Mañanitas at 12:05 a.m. Sometimes I watch it on television, yet no matter what my intentions are, I usually fall asleep and miss the beautiful singing!
There is a committee for food, kitchen, servers, drink purchases (beer, sangria, pop, tea, lemonade, water), set up, placing the empty vases, having fresh roses ready for a children's procession, audio, music, pinata fun, tickets, greeters, bar tenders, and take down. All in all, a lot of people will be needed to make the evening a success!
After each mass there will be ticket sellers and our hope is that 100 tickets will be purchased to celebrate Our Lady's Feast Day.
"Let not your heart be disturbed.
Am I not here who is your Mother?
Are you not under my protection?
Am I not your health?
Are you not happily within my fold?
What else do you wish?
Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything."
Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan San Diego
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