In celebration of the 487th anniversary of the miraculous apparitions of the Virgin of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego, La Peregrina, a pilgrim image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, will start the annual pilgrimage with visits to parishes in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties from Oct. 27-Nov. 3.
In the spirit of the Synod of the Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment taking place in Rome this month, for the first time, the images will visit five schools in each of the pastoral regions of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The traveling images will also visit more than 17 designated pilgrimage churches throughout the Archdiocese. Below is the full schedule:
- Oct. 27-31 in Ventura County at Mary Star of the Sea Parish
- Oct. 28-29 at Our Lady of Assumption Parish
- Oct. 30-Nov. 1 at St. Bonaventure High School
- Nov. 2-3 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in the city of Guadalupe, Santa Barbara County
- Nov 4-5 at St. Alphonsus Parish in Los Angeles County
The annual pilgrimage of the images serves as spiritual preparation for the 87th Annual Procession and Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 9 in East Los Angeles. The Guadalupe Procession, established by Mexican Catholics who fled persecution by their government during the Cristero War in 1931, is the oldest religious procession in L.A.
The Archdiocese’s annual celebration commemorates the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, recalling the miraculous apparitions of the Virgin Mary to Saint Juan Diego at Cerro del Tepeyac (Tepeyac Hill), Mexico City, in December 1531, when she left her image on his “tilma” or cloak. Her image has been a symbol of unity, peace, compassion, and hope for people around the world.
La Peregrina, a pilgrim image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, is an exact digital reproduction of the original image in Mexico City’s Basilica, which has been blessed and touched to the original image. This year marks the 12th anniversary when the gift was hand-delivered to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by Monsignor Diego Monroy, then Rector of Our Lady of Guadalupe Basilica in Mexico City.
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