GARY – Steel City residents and others who were out and about on the temperate morning and afternoon of Dec. 4, witnessed the solidarity of Catholics of different backgrounds in a procession honoring the Patroness of the Americas.
From the blessing given at Ss. Monica and Luke – where African-, European- and Hispanic-American Catholics filled the Gary church – to the prayerful conclusion of the procession when the late afternoon sun shone through the colorful stained glass at St. Joseph the Worker, the faithful shared their devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
About three dozen faithful walked or drove the more than five miles between the Gary parishes on the diocese’s first “Great Guadalupana Walk” where a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe from Ss. Monica and Luke was transported in the bed of a pickup truck. Prayers, guitar strumming, and the ringing of bells echoed in the sparse neighborhoods and busy main thoroughfares, as two Gary Police Department reserve officers in squad cars escorted the group.
“Desde el cielo una hermosa mañana La Guadalupana bajó al Tepeyac … era Mexicana …
… que estás en el cielo ruega a Dios por nosotros (From heaven, one beautiful morning the Virgin of Guadalupe descended to Tepeyac … she was of Mexican descent … who art thou in heaven, pray for us to God),” the pilgrims sang.
Earlier at Ss. Monica and Luke, Bishop Emeritus Dale J. Melczek offered prayers for the efficacy of the walk that kicked off a novena, nine days of prayer, ending on Dec. 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“You sent your Son into the world to bring about your Kingdom of peace, justice and love,” said Bishop Melczek. “You sent St. Juan Diego to the Church to announce the vision of Our Lady of Guadalupe. (Today) pilgrims gather on a holy procession through our city. May they persevere in honoring the mother of your son with their songs and prayer.”
A parishioner of Ss. Monica and Luke since 2010 and a regular participant in ministries for years before that, Dawn Darceneaux said she was originally drawn to the church where parishioners put their faith into action by serving the needy through their soup kitchen. She saw the lending of the church’s Our Lady of Guadalupe statue to the pilgrims from across the city as another vibrant display of faith.
“We love St. Monica, and we love the Church; when our church is involved in something we are right there,” said Darceneaux. “We have a long history (in Gary.)”
Walking the route between the parishes, Deacon Michael Cummings represented Ss. Monica and Luke, joining Franciscan Father Juan de la Cruz Turcio, associate pastor of St. Joseph the Worker.
The group charted a course westward, then headed south before reaching Broadway Avenue. To avoid high-traffic areas they stuck to side streets and often encountered uneven sidewalks and rough pavement.
The Ahearn family took a leadership role in the event honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe. Among the siblings from Whiting, the boys – Joseph, 16, Stephen, 10, and James 8 – carried the processional cross and candles. The girls – Christina, 15, Catherine, 13, and Margaret, 7 – dispersed flower petals along the route.
The Guadalupanas were greeted by curious looks from some Gary residents, as well as encouraging words. The local people seemed to recognize the sacred nature of the walk. One young female, who was exiting an apartment building, viewed the religious group passing by and said, “Have a blessed day.”
Bishop Robert J. McClory was delighted to walk a stretch of the pilgrims’ route in Gary, noting the beauty of the people joining together to honor Our Lady.
The pilgrims arrived at St. Joseph the Worker – much earlier than originally estimated – and several men helped to carry the Marian statue and its base from the truck parked at the church’s main entranceway to a side altar inside the church.
Upon entering the church, Father Turcio led the congregation in cheers of “¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!” (Long live the Virgin of Guadalupe!)
Sisters Noni Gamez and Diana Moreno are former members of the Ss. Monica and Luke Guadalupe Committee. They recalled their parents helping bring a devotion to Our Lady, as she is known in Mexican culture, to the Gary parish decades ago. They held a banner, dedicated to the Virgen de Guadalupe, and made in Mexico, during stretches of the intra-city walk.
“Since the banner was commissioned by our parents, I felt that it should have been a part of the procession,” said Noni Gamez.
Women carried poinsettias and arranged them around the temporary Marian shrine.
Among Franciscans joining the day’s event, Brother Carlos Portillo sang “Ave Maria” from the sanctuary as Guadalupanas and St. Joseph the Worker parishioners gathered in the church on the west side of Gary.
Father Michael Surufka, pastor of Ss. Monica and Luke and administrator of St. Joseph the Worker, explained that the effort to connect the Gary Church family took on an added significance after Ss. Monica and Luke members grieved a fatal act of violence committed against a guest on their property in November.
“We do this out of love, but I think the meaning of this changed after the shooting at Ss. Monica and Luke. This (event) was already in the works. After the shooting, people asked, ‘Should we still have the procession?’” Father Surufka said. “My response at church was, ‘Now even more so do we need to publicly display our faith and our presence in the city.’”
Gathered near his parents John and Rosa Jimenez, Jonathan Jimenez, 32, was accompanied by his girlfriend, Rosa Hernandez, 28. For the younger St. Joseph the Worker parishioners, the celebration of faith and Hispanic culture is a tradition they wish to flourish.
“Novenas have always been a tradition we have been a part of,” said Jonathan Jimenez. “When I was younger it was always a major event. (The procession) is something we’ve never done here since we moved from (the former) St. Mark church to St. Joseph. This felt like something that reminded me of those traditions … I really wanted to be a part of it.”
BY ANTHONY D. ALONZO
Northwest Indiana Catholic