Rites for a Patron Saint : Latinos in County Pay Homage to the Virgin of Guadalupe

Inside the small church, Aurora Goscon knelt before a sculpture of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico’s patron saint. She paused while reciting the rosary in Spanish to wrap a dark blue wool rebozo , or shawl, around her shoulders to ward off the night cold.

Then, picking up the litany again, she chanted, “ Santa Maria, madre de Dios . . . ,” her voice droning through the rosary’s 60-odd prayers.

It is a scene that was played out in dozens of Roman Catholic churches in Orange County this week as religious festivities for thousands of Latinos in Southern California began with the Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe celebrations.

For the estimated 560,000 Latinos who live in Orange County, celebrations like the one at La Purisima Catholic Church, where Goscon led the rosary Thursday night, serve as a cultural extension of similar ceremonies in small pueblos across the Republic of Mexico.

Goscon said the evening prayers reminded her of her childhood in Zamora, in the state of Michoacan. She said these customs transcend the U.S.-Mexico border, making parishioners feel that for one week, Mexico was brought in prayer and song to the United States.

According to tradition, the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared before Juan Diego, a poor Indian, on a hill northwest of Mexico City known as Tepeyac. The Virgin appeared to him on Dec. 9, 1531, and instructed him to have the bishop build a church on the site.

But the bishop did not believe Diego. Three days later, in a second appearance, the Virgin told Juan Diego to pick flowers and take them to the bishop. When he presented them, roses fell from his cloak, and beneath them was the painted image of the Virgin. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is now at the site.

Although the vision took place in Mexico, the image of a woman with her hands clasped in prayer, her head to one side, is one of the most powerful and famous in all Latin America, said Msgr. Jaime Soto, who heads Hispanic ministries for the Catholic Diocese of Orange.

“It’s a dramatic story of redemption,” Soto said. “And it is a particularly Mexican devotion. But it does have very broad appeal not only to the Mexican people, but to those outside the Latin community. Our Lady of Guadalupe is recognized as the patroness of the Americas.”

Traditionally, nine masses are celebrated as part of the worship between Dec. 4 and Dec. 12. At La Purisima, Father Sebastian Foix presided over elaborate evening masses with songs accompanied by mariachis every day for nine days. Each night, more than 600 people crowded into the church and nearly 1,500 attended Saturday’s finale.

At St. Boniface Catholic Church in Anaheim, more than 2,500 people showed up to attend a pre-dawn Mass Saturday. Nearly the same number showed up at noon when the Most Rev. Norman F. McFarland, bishop of the Diocese of Orange, presided.

McFarland, who is a supporter of Latino ministries, enjoyed celebrating the Mass, saying afterward that the Latino community’s devotion to the Virgin Mary makes “us all strong.”

In Santa Ana’s tiny Delhi barrio, Augustin Escudero continues a tradition begun more than 26 years ago in the city of Puebla, Mexico.

Illuminated by portable lights late Friday night, Escudero, 47, and members of his family gather--as they do annually--to create the spectacular images of the Virgin of Guadalupe that have become famous at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 541 E. Central Ave.

Using the sidewalk in front of the church as a giant canvas, Escudero, a sportswriter for El Sol Latino, a Spanish-language newspaper, “paints” a picture of the patroness with colored powder and sawdust. Preparations take three weeks and the application is done by hand, a tedious process completed by working all night.

It is quintessential religious folk art, Soto said.

On Friday, Escudero and his family arrived at the church about 7 p.m. With the help of a hand-drawn prototype for the night’s project, Escudero barked out orders to his sons, including 12-year-old Octavio, who helped trim a border with white chrysanthemums.

The night is special for the Escuderos. Grandchildren sit bundled from the night chill, snuggling up to their siblings. Mexican songs are played from a small radio. From time to time, family members sit by a barbecue grill loaded with coals to keep warm during the windy night. Nearby are jugs of hot coffee, and steaming atole, a thick chocolate, and of course, tamales.

“Augustin is so dedicated to doing this every year that it’s become our family tradition,” said Escudero’s daughter-in-law, Leticia. She added that for her and her three children, it’s “kind of like waiting to see the Rose Parade.”

“But it also shows Augustin’s devotion to the Virgin,” she said, taking a peek at her son, 6-month-old Augustin Jr., who was asleep inside a stroller.

“We’re proud to do this. It’s an honor,” Escudero said.

Parish families enjoy a competitive spirit during the celebration. For example, La Purisima hosts presentations by residents from a different Mexican state each night of the week. Presentations usually involve an offering of flowers, preferably roses, and a homemade banner imprinted with the name of the home state. Once the presentation is over, the banner is hung in a place of honor in the church.

The participants love this competition. Public displays of pride usually mean dozens of fresh, red roses. Meanwhile, simple banners can become gaudy proclamations of statehood, with giant letters spelling Zacatecas or Morelos.

On Tuesday, Martin Luqueno, 30, of Orange and his family joined several local families who represented Puebla, a state in southern Mexico. This entailed dressing up their children as peasants, sometimes in serapes, buying roses, and preparing the banner. On the night of the presentation, Luqueno’s group walked down a middle aisle of the church while the entire congregation serenaded the Virgin.

Luqueno said his job was to prepare the banner.

“See it? The banner’s hanging over there,” he said in a proud voice. “See the blue emblem on it? That emblem is the emblem of the state of Puebla. I sewed that on myself. I did it by hand. No machine. All by hand.”