Most people are not up at 6 a.m. especially on a Sunday.
That did not happen on Dec. 10th, 2006 when a standing room only crowd of more than five hundred at six in the morning came to show their respect to “La Virgen de Guadalupe” at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Moline, Ill. The festivities lasted the entire day as indigenous dances and songs were done in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe. First, traditional dancers took the stage with an indigenous dance. The dancers included young students of all ages as well as middle aged men. An image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was hung to by the parish. Songs like “La Guadalupana” and “Paloma” Blanca were sung as well as the traditional “mañanitas”. Later, Father Jerry Pilon gave a sermon on the real miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He said that the miracle was not that the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego but that Mexico became a Catholic nation as a result of the events. After the service in the morning, the parishioners packed the kitchen for a menudo breakfast. Later in the day, the mass in Spanish was also packed. The traditional dancers led the procession in and out of the church. During the mass more traditional songs were sung in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Late in the afternoon, St. Mary’s had a re-enactment play of the events that transpired 475 years ago.