East Los Angeles holds its 93rd procession commemorating La Virgen de Guadalupe

The 93rd edition of Los Angeles' oldest religious procession attracted over 20,000 people to East Los Angeles on Sunday to commemorate the 493rd anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the Mexican peasant Juan Diego, according to organizers.

The Procession and Mass honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego began at Our Lady of Solitude Parish then went through the streets of East Los Angeles. Its theme was "Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of the Eucharist."

The procession's lineup included Guadalupano parish groups, 37 groups of Aztec dancers and 35 "andas," decorated carts used by students from Catholic schools and representatives of other ministries in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. to carry images of the Virgin of Guadalupe during the procession, according to organizers.

Guadalupano parish groups are groups of men and women who are responsible for promoting devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her title of Guadalupe.

"Today's procession gives us the opportunity to think about the journey of our Christian life," Archbishop José H. Gomez said during his homily in a Mass at East Los Angeles College Stadium following the procession.

The celebration was founded by Mexican Catholics who fled persecution during the Cristero War in 1931. The annual celebration marks of La Virgen de Guadalupe, commemorates the miraculous appearances of the Virgin Mary to St. Juan Diego at Tepeyac Hill in Mexico City in December 1531, when her image was left on his cloak.

Over time, her image has come to symbolize unity, peace, compassion and hope for many Latinos across the globe.