St. Rose hosts Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos Festival

A three-week festival in honor of the pilgrimage statue of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos from Jalisco, Mexico, is underway at St. Rose of Lima Church in Simi Valley.The festival included a procession, Mass and all-day festivities on Aug. 10. A variety of festivities, liturgies and presentations will be held through next weekend, and Archbishop José Gomez will preside at the Farewell Mass on Aug. 25. Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos is among the most popular pilgrimage shrines in Mexico. It dates from the mid-16th century, when a Spanish priest brought a statue of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception to the village of San Juan Mezquititlan Baptist. Nearly a century later, the village was renamed San Juan de Los Lagos after the miraculous healing of a young Indian girl. The Cathedral/Basilica of the Virgin of San Juan de los Lagos houses the statue in northeast Jalisco.St. Rose of Lima Church is located at 1305 Royal Ave., Simi Valley. For information, call (805) 526-1732.