‘Honra tu Madre’: Phoenix gears up for its Día de la Virgen celebration in downtown

Every year, thousands of Arizonans gather in downtown Phoenix to pay tribute to La Virgen de Guadalupe, whose image as the patroness saint of the Americas has served as a symbol of migrant resistance in the U.S.

This year will be no different, as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix prepares to host one of its most significant “Honor Your Mother” celebrations to date, aided by the Jubilee Year being celebrated worldwide, during which faithful Catholics make pilgrimages to holy sites. The Phoenix diocese appointed six pilgrimage sites in Arizona and one of them is set to host this year’s feast day of La Virgen de Guadalupe.

Observed on Dec. 12, the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe celebrates her apparition before St. Juan Diego in what is now Mexico City. The Phoenix diocese has, for the last 20 years, celebrated the day with a mass and a procession about a week in advance to allow for other churches to host similar celebrations closer to the actual date.

On Saturday, Dec. 6, Peace Park at St. Mary’s Basilica off Third and Monroe streets, will host the 20th anniversary of the diocese’s celebration of el Día de la Virgen. The basilica's outdoor space will host food vendors and live entertainment by faithful followers from across the Valley.

In previous years, nearly 100 groups from parishes and churches across Arizona, and some from parts of Mexico, have attended and participated in the procession, drawing thousands to the downtown celebration. From Matachines and Tlacololero to the more traditional Aztec and folklórico dancers, faithful Catholics show up ready to honor the Virgin Mary through dance and prayer.

This Saturday, the celebration will kick off with an outdoor mass at 10 a.m., celebrated by Bishop John Dolan and Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares. A procession will take place immediately after, taking parishioners through downtown streets and back around to Peace Park.

Earlier this year, Dolan and Nevares echoed the outcry from dozens of immigrant-rights organizations calling for an end to the persecution of individuals being carried out by the Trump administration.

In a pastoral letter titled “In Solidarity with the Stranger,” they condemned the recent increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations that have taken place in the Valley and across the country, saying, “we raise our collective voice and hearts in prayerful solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters; especially considering the recent ICE operations that have brought confusion, fear and heartache to many of our communities.”