SAN DIEGO — December 12th is a special day for Catholics worldwide who celebrate the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
It's a celebration to honor the Virgin Mary including music, food, roses, and lit candles. Many families from Southeastern San Diego made their way to Barrio Logan's Catholic church to pay in person homage to her.
“We know that La Virgen is someone that you know, intercedes for us, we always glorify God but we really look up to her for her prayers,” said Esther Bedoy, a churchgoer who was with her son that had similar attire like Saint Juan Diego’s.
The Latino catholic community celebrates this religious holiday each December. To catholic believers, it's the anniversary of one of several apparitions of the Virgin Mary that was witnessed by an indigenous Mexican man named Juan Diego in 1531.
Saint Juan Diego's story resonates in Barrio Logan as the story brings validation and empowerment to marginalized people and it communicates to them that we all belong.
“Our lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan in 1531 and When she did so she had the same colored skin as she had and she spoke to him in his native language and that in my sense was a way of validating him,” said Father Scott Santarosa, the pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish.
Catholic families found themselves listening in on a special mass and then celebrated with authentic food. Many showed her gratitude for answering their prayers.
Like Angelica Rodriguez, a Barrio Logan resident who feared losing her son, after he almost drowned. “I Asked her instead to please give him back his life and he’s back,” she said.
At the end of the mass, Barrio Logan families also participated in a vigil to raise awareness over the environmental injustices happening in the area. praying to our Lady of Guadalupe to shine light over their neighborhood.
WATCH RELATED: Latino Catholics gather for ‘Our Lady of Guadalupe’ procession in North Park (Dec. 2022).