On the night of Dec. 11, hundreds of worshippers gathered in Port Wentworth to celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico.
For the past 21 years, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church has been the anchor in the Savannah region for one of the most important religious holidays with Catholic Hispanics of Mexican origin.
The celebration commemorates the night in which the Virgin of Guadalupe was believed to have appeared before Saint Juan Diego in Mexico City in 1531. Throughout the Latin American world, revelers took part in their own festivities that same night, often with processions, dance and song or mañanitas.
Credit: Nancy Guan / Savannah Morning News
Credit: Nancy Guan / Savannah Morning News
Chon Magaña, who has organized the local event for the past two decades, said the celebration is the "heart of the Hispanic community coming together."
"Everybody is Guadalupano," said Magaña, referring to believers of the Lady of Guadalupe.
The night kicked off with a procession in which the anda or float bearing the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was carried to the church. There, dancers enacted biblical scenes and musicians performed songs of worship. Bishop Stephen Parkes and Father Pablo Migone gave homilies and blessed the congregation as part of the celebration of Mass.
Rubi Alvarez and Araceli Joachin serenaded the image of the Lady of Guadalupe as people took part in the last ritual of placing roses before her.
Nancy Guan is the general assignment reporter covering Chatham County municipalities. Reach her at nguan@gannett.com or on Twitter @nancyguann.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Catholics gather in Port Wentworth to commemorate the day of Our Lady of Guadalupe
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