PALM CITY | The faithful of Holy Redeemer Parish in Palm City gathered Dec. 12, 2025, to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and honoring the Virgin Mary with Mass, a procession, traditional music and delicious food.
Before the liturgy began, Martha Illescas, standing before the statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, said, “This is the third year for us. We are a small group that speaks Spanish, and we meet every other Monday at 7 p.m. to pray the rosary. Wilma and Deacon Rivera were in charge of the flowers, and our group helped.”
Deacon Angel Rivera said, “Father Dunne, our pastor, is a great supporter of our Spanish ministry.” The faithful were asked to write petitions for personal needs that were gathered and placed on the altar.
The Eucharistic celebration was officiated by retired assistant priest Father Albert Baltz, better known as Father Skip. A statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe was processed to the altar adorned with 200 colorful roses surrounding her feet while the traditional song of “La Guadalupana” was sung. He blessed the statue, assisted by Deacon Rivera.
A brief history of the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe was presented in Spanish and English by Deacon Rivera. “She appeared at Tepeyac, and that is the center of the Americas. She is the patroness of all the Americas, north, central and south,” he said.
The deacon explained that “Juan Diego was a poor Indian convert on his way to Mass that morning when he heard some sounds,” and when he went to investigate, “he saw this lovely lady, and the lady had a message for him: ‘I want you to go to the bishop and tell him to build me a church here.’” Juan Diego told the bishop what she said, and “the bishop (Bishop Zumárraga) said, ‘Give me a sign.’”
When Juan Diego went back and told the lady what the bishop said, she told him to “pick these beautiful roses that are out of season, and they were Roses of Castile, which are the most beautiful roses in the world,” Deacon Rivera said.
“For him (Juan Diego), the miracle was the roses, but there was in his mantle (tilma) the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe,” he said. “All those are miracles, but the greatest miracle of all was not the mantle with Our Lady of Guadalupe’s image. The great miracle was the conversion of almost the entire country of Mexico.”
Ending his homily, Deacon Rivera said, “Today, we honor Our Lady and we ask for her intercession, that she will always be with us and watching over us and taking our prayers to her Son.”
Following the Mass, many people venerated the statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, including Virginia Beck and Cecilia Zuinga. Beck said, “She is the Mother of God, a special soul, and she is the one who delivers our message to God, whatever we are asking for.”
For more information on Holy Redeemer’s Hispanic ministry, visit www.holyredeemercc.org or call 772-286-4590.
