Devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe thrives despite the cold at St. Paul Parish in Olathe

Father Agustin Martinez, associate pastor of St. Paul Parish in Olathe, offers a blessing to the participants in the procession, as well as the statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe. LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

OLATHE — Even as he went out into the cold, dark night to lead the public procession of his St. Paul parishioners through the streets of Olathe, pastor Father Michael Hermes already knew what one of his favorite moments would be.

“My favorite song we sing in the procession,” he told The Leaven, “is ‘Ven con nosotros a caminar, Santa Maria.’ The first verse says: ‘As you walk through life, you are never alone, with you on the way, Holy Mary goes.’”

Hundreds of parishioners of St. Paul Parish in Olathe took part in an Our Lady of Guadalupe procession through the neighborhood surrounding the parish. Despite a temperature of 31 degrees with winds up to 29 mph, the group completed the nearly five-mile procession to end up back at the church for Mass and a reception. LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

Many of Father Hermes’ parishioners have grown up participating in this annual procession to their home church to celebrate her feast.

“The procession has always been an important public expression of love for Our Lady of Guadalupe, who in the apparition is carrying Jesus in her womb, bringing Our Lord and Savior to us,” Father Hermes said. “Also, at the same time, there is a sense that Our Lady is walking with us in the procession, through the journey of life, as we walk to the church to celebrate the Eucharist and give thanks to Jesus Christ.”

Father Martinez, and Father Michael Hermes, pastor of St. Paul Parish, celebrated a traditional Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass at the church following the procession. LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER

This year’s procession on Dec. 11 drew hundreds of participants, despite 31-degree temps and wind gusts up to 29 mph. The procession route was 4.3 miles long.

Following the procession, participants gathered for a traditional Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass at the church, complete with colorful costumes, dancing and children placing flowers at the base of Our Lady of Guadalupe to symbolize the miracle of the roses.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

In December 1531, on the Hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego, a humble Indigenous convert to Catholicism. Speaking in his native language Nahuatl, she asked him to tell the local bishop to build a shrine in her honor so she could care for her people. When the bishop requested a sign, Mary instructed Juan Diego to gather roses that were inexplicably blooming in winter and gather them in his tilma. When he revealed the roses to the bishop, her image was miraculously imprinted on the cloak, inspiring a worldwide devotion that endures to this day. A chapel was built on the hill, eventually becoming the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and her feast is celebrated each year on Dec. 12.

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