Mary: Look son, come see what is happening in Arvada tonight.
Jesus: It looks as if they are honoring you and look at those beautiful and colorful decorations.
Mary: I can imagine it took a long time to make all those flowers but look over in the corner where a few children have colored my picture. Some of those kids are quite creative!
Jesus: Mom, I love how they decorated around your picture, and a serape gives a great ambiance to the night! Most of the volunteers are wearing neat name tags made by a creative volunteer. It looks like they are going to have two piñatas for the kids, a red Elmo and a white horse! the turquoise tulle and silk made a perfect back drop for you. Two sombreros, baskets with flower and vases that will be filled with red roses.
Jesus: The doors are now open and here come many happy people ready to celebrate your feast day! They have greeters meeting the people and helping them find seats. Some people are going over to the bar and getting plastic cups of Sangria or beer. This group knows how to celebrate!
Mary: It looks like everyone knows everyone because I see a lot of greetings, smiles and hugs. This parish is so special because they practice being good to their neighbors and to strangers! Oh, there is a procession with the children bringing up the red roses and a cute San Juan Diego who I am sure is someone's grandson. How cute that he is dressed like Juan Diego. He is bringing a vase of red roses and placing it on the stand with a little reverent bow! Yet, I am wondering how they will feed so many people.
Jesus: No need to worry, it looks well organized. There are four tables of food, plenty of servers, and tables are called by number. It looks like four tables at a time. From here it looks like tacos and burritos with all the toppings. The kitchen volunteer has worked hard to make everything flow smoothly. Look, Mom, my two favorite priests are there and one, the tall one, is getting up to give the blessing before the meal.
Mary: A lady is going around with a carafe of Sangria and refilling empty cups. I notice that they also have water, tea, lemonade, and pop for those non-alcoholic drinkers! Everyone is eating and talking and Covid or no Covid, they are enjoying themselves. That church has many social functions, and they never have any problems. You should probably send a blessing that everyone stays safe!
Jesus: My favorite part of a meal is dessert, and it looks like they are having Mexican sweet bread and churros. A few volunteers are going around with trays filled with the sweet dessert. A perfect ending to a good meal.
Mary: Jesus, look my story is going to be told by the shorter priest. I love hearing the story of when I appeared to little Juan Diego. The best part is when Juanito opens the tilma and all the roses fall out. That's the part that makes a believer of those who would not believe Juanito that I was asking for a shrine to be built in my name. Who would have thought that the shrine is known all over the world and millions of visitors come to see me, especially on my feast day!
Jesus: Look, they are getting ready to have the children break the piñatas. Oh, my goodness, the piñatas are bigger than some of the children. Those small children are just tapping Elmo and they need someone with a strong arm to break the piñatas! That young girl has a good swing and there goes all the candy on the floor! Candy is scattered all over and even the grownups are getting some of the pieces of wrapped candy. I love seeing my flock having fun!
Mary: All good things must come to an end, and it looks like the party is winding down. I am so proud of all the volunteers that made my party come to life! Those hard workers are being called to the front for a big thank you and a round of well-deserved applause. I know that everyone worked hard from the kitchen staff, the servers, the decorators, the drink groups, the greeters, and the priests all to make my feast day special. The liturgist of that church is one of a kind with great organizing skills. She directed the volunteers to succeed in having a great party for me! I send my thanks to her also!
Jesus: Everyone leaving the fiesta, is smiling with a happy feeling in their hearts, and I love that! Mom, you are so loved by so many people!
Mary: And I love them too. Even though the party is over, the volunteers are continuing to work by taking down all the decorations, clearing the tables, and I like that each volunteer is taking a few of the tablecloth's home to launder which makes a large job doable! I want you all to know I enjoyed my fiesta and I thank everyone who helped make my feast day so special. Just watching all the activities of the night has tired me out. I am headed for bed, good night son!
Jesus: Happy dreams to you, Mom.
Meanwhile, here on earth the volunteers were happy though tired. The meetings to plan the fiesta began on October 28, 2021. I counted about 36 volunteers making the wheels turn for a great fiesta. Three meetings finalized the plan for a successful party for Our Lady of Guadalupe. Many hands made everything easier! Thirty-eight volunteers (or maybe more) helped to make for a joyful evening!
"Coming together is a beginning,
keeping together is progress,
working together is success."
Henry Ford
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