Auxiliary Bishop Carlos Enrique Samaniego Lopez of the Archdiocese of Mexico served as homilist at the Archdiocese of New York’s annual Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass on the feast day, Tuesday, December 12, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

The Mass was preceded first by an evening vigil on December 11, and then a procession to the cathedral, in which hundreds participated.

Auxiliary Bishop Edmund Whalen of the Archdiocese of New York served as the principal celebrant, substituting for Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who was ill. Bishop Samaniego was among the concelebrants of the 10 a.m. Spanish Mass, along with Monsignor Diego Monroy, rector emeritus of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, who read the Gospel from Luke.        

Monsignor Monroy, toward the end of Mass, presented a special image of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Bishop Whalen, who accepted it on behalf of the archdiocese. At the end of Mass, Bishop Whalen blessed a large group of children and teens and offered them priestly words of faithful encouragement for the future. Mass attendance exceeded 2,000.            

The Mass was preceded by a large street procession with images of Our Lady of Guadalupe, from the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Bernard on West 14th Street, via Madison Avenue onto East 51th Street to the Cathedral. 

“Welcome to all – thank you for your presence, and thank you for your devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe,” Bishop Whalen said in opening remarks at the start of Mass. “In a world filled with problems and difficulties…with the love of the Virgin Mary, we can move forward.” He added that Cardinal Dolan sent a big welcome, and “we should pray for him.”    

In the homily, Bishop Samaniego began by expressing his joy at being at the cathedral with the faithful and fellow clergymen and said he brought heartfelt greetings from the Church in Mexico.

He later spoke of historical, highly difficult times, such as when Christ was crucified outside Jerusalem, the years in Mexico around Mary’s apparitions to Juan Diego, and the present state of worldwide crisis that includes wars. Like Juan Diego, he said, we should trust in Mother Mary, and her intercessions, and remember that she “manifests the closeness of God.”

“Our Lady of Guadalupe expresses the tenderness of God,” Bishop Samaniego said, adding that we too “can be the tenderness of God. We can manifest the closeness of God, in respecting the dignity of people – presenting ourselves in a language (way of speaking) that others can understand – sincere…It is a great event; Our Lady of Guadalupe is not just a symbol, it is a great event.”

He spoke of Mary’s apparition to Juan Diego as being a miraculous blessing that resulted “in the conversion of the multitudes” during “a depressing moment…she took us toward Jesus: the way, the truth and the life.” He said Mary not only brought maternal love, but also “the Love of love, which is Jesus.” He said amid the migrant crisis, wars, and other social problems and confusions, like the faith-filled Juan Diego, “we must respond,” and we must remember the Holy Family as a model. He cited Pope Francis, about being “the light of faith…to discover that Jesus walks with us.”  

 Bishop Samaniego ended the homily by asking the faithful to recite these words with him to Mary: “Give me courage and confidence, my Mother of hope.” He said the first part twice, and the faithful responded twice: “my Mother of hope.”  

Claudia Varela, Mexican-born and parishioner of St. Athanasius in the Bronx, said after Tuesday morning’s Mass that she appreciated Bishop Samaniego’s homily, noting, “Where Mary is, there is Jesus…In these difficult times, we must be at prayer, mainly by praying the Holy Rosary as a family. Through our Holy Mother Mary we will continue to walk toward the arms of Jesus.”

Before the Mass, Erikia Martinez, 41, a parishioner of St. Anthony of Padua in the Bronx, was outside on the front steps of the cathedral, having just participated in the street procession. 

“It is important for us to keep carrying the Light to the world, like Juan Diego did; the Guadalupan torch represents the Light,” Martinez, a Mexican-born married mother of two, told The Good Newsroom. “We need to do this like messengers.” 

At a Guadalupe Vigil at the cathedral the previous night, Monday, December 11, also in Spanish, Monsignor. Monroy gave welcoming words of joy, saying in part, “Today is a big fiesta day;  we are celebrating our Holy Mother – St. Mary of Guadalupe; she is our identity.” He noted that Mary’s apparitions to Juan Diego occurred 492 years ago (in 1531).

Father Enrique Salvo, rector of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, also offered vigil words of welcome, as did Wanda Vasquez, director of the Archdiocese of New York’s Office of Hispanic Ministry. The colorful vigil featured Guadalupan music and dance performances, and images of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

“It is more than a tradition; it is the faith that we have in Our Lady of Guadalupe,” Oscar Vaquero, 45, an attendee at Monday evening’s vigil, told The Good Newsroom shortly after a Mariachi band offered sounds of Guadalupan faith. “We come here every year. It is something very important in our life; we believe in God; we believe in Our Lady of Guadalupe.” Vaquero, a Mexican-born and married father of three, is a parishioner of St. Mary’s Church in Mount Vernon.