TORRINGTON – Monday marked a special day in the Catholic Church. The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated each Dec. 12 to commemorate the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Juan Diego in 1531.
The Monday night Mass began at 5:30 p.m. with music provided by Ritch Reyes and dancing by the Los Guadalupanos Folkloric Dancers out of Scottsbluff, Nebraska.
Following the Mass, parishioners gathered in the St. Rose Parish Hall for a Guadalupe Fiesta dinner provided by the Guadalupe Society of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church.
According to the Britannica encyclopedia, tradition maintains St. Juan Diego, an impoverished Aztec Indian converted to Christianity, was said to have been walking to attend Mass when he heard music atop Tepeyac Hill. Mary appeared before Diego and asked him to build a shrine in honor of her at the hill.
Diego reported what he had seen to the local bishop, who told him he needed to have a sign of what Diego alleged had occurred before ordering the construction of a shrine.
Tradition holds that Mary appeared to Diego a second time and told him to collect roses and show the roses to the bishop. Diego did as was instructed of him by Mary, but when Diego opened his tilma, the roses fell and revealed the image of Mary imprinted on the inside of his cloak.
The Tilma remains at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City to this day.
