The Crusada Guadalupana in the Archdiocese of San Francisco will be held virtually on Dec. 5, an act of faith and hope in the virgin of Guadalupe, for survivors of Covid-19 and for an end to the pandemic, said the founders of the annual veneration, Pedro García and his wife Marta García.
“The Virgin cannot be without her party,” Marta García said.
“For us it is very important not to miss this date to venerate Our Lady of Guadalupe and ask God for everything that is happening with the pandemic,” she said. “So, this idea came to us to do the crusade virtually even though it is a challenge for us because of the technology.”
The Guadalupana Crusade was an inspiration of Pedro García, who first organized the pilgrimage in 1993 to ask Mary’s intercession for immigrants and their legal status in the United States.
Since then, each year on the Saturday before the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is Dec. 12. 2020, the pilgrims walk 12 miles from All Souls Church in South San Francisco to St. Mary´s Cathedral in San Francisco….
This year’s pilgrimage will be held Dec. 5 with the same program as previous years but with participation through Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
The day begins at 8 a.m. with a video welcome message recorded in All Souls Church from pastor Father Kazimierz Abrahamczyk and a blessing by retired Auxiliary Bishop William Justice, who opened the doors to the first crusade when he was the pastor at All Souls….
The crusade will end with a livestreamed Mass at 2 p.m. at the cathedral, celebrated by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.
Participants in the virtual pilgrimage will include a Covid-19 survivor, Mario Ayer, a longtime volunteer at the annual event.
Ayer, 53, knew he had Covid-19 when he went to Seton Hospital in Daly City on Aug. 21. Before leaving his home he stopped in front of a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the living room of his house and he told her, “I am in your hands, mother. You will know if you bring me back home again.”
In the hospital, his health worsened.
“Only a nurse, who went to Mass and prayed the rosary for me, had faith that I was going to live,” Ayer said. “I was so sick that I even saw my father-in-law who died three years ago, but I abandoned myself to the virgin of Guadalupe.”
This year, although there will be no pilgrimage in the streets, Ayer will walk from All Souls Church in South San Francisco to the cathedral as a sacrifice to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The above comes from a Nov. 11 story in Catholic San Francisco.
There’s no proof that the recovery was due to the Virgin’s intercession. He saw his father in law? Best to take such claims with a grain of salt. What about all the ones who died? The Virgin didn’t like them?
Anonymous, I believe this man! He has great faith in God and Our Blessed Mother! I think his recovery from deadly COVID-19 was a miracle! Very inspiring, that he had a nurse who went to Mass and prayed the Rosary for him! Do you ever do the same– to help dying Coronavirus patients?? It is very common, for people to see the souls of beloved, deceased family members, upon approaching death. That has also happened, in my family. Now, this wonderful man of faith is offering his sacrifice of thanksgiving, with his long walk to the cathedral! His evangelization work is absolutely wonderful! And what inspiring work are you doing– with your faith??
Viva Cristo Rey!
Viva La Virgen de Guadalupe!
Love the title — Cruzada, Crusade. This should send our Muslim population reeling like the cover of Jesse Romero’s book “Lord Prepare My Hands for Battle”.
Of course, it is a spiritual crusade that is and will be done.
Anne TE – I usually find your posting fair, even when I don’t agree with your opinion. Today you disappoint me. Why attack our Muslim brothers and sisters? Islam teaches the story of the virgin birth of Jesus in the Holy Koran and Muslims venerate the Blessed Mother much as we do.
Julieta, evidently my post in reply to my last post did not go through, where I said the battle (crusade) was a spiritual one.
God is Truth, and truth is true, and Mohammad claimed to have seen the Angel Gabriel in a cave, and that he gave him the Koran, but the Koran denies the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, so the Gabriel mentioned in the Koran was not the Angel Gabriel of the New Testament. Also, the Koran mixes up the Virgin Mary (Mariam in Hebrew) with Mariam the sister of Moses and Aaron, whom every devout Jew and Christian know were centuries apart historically. Whatever Mohammed saw in that cave, if he was not making it up, was Antichrist.
Also, Julieta, I do not know if you know it, but many Muslims object to the word “crusade” being used at all They got angry when the Rev. Billy Graham’s son still used the term “Crusades for Christ”.
Anne I think you are confusing words. “Cruzada” as used here would translate as “crossing” or “procession” but does not imply anything about the crusades of history or a crusade against something.
Immaculada, your interpretation of the word “cruzada” is also correct, but the Archbishop of Mexico (1575) sent an exact cop of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe to King Phillip II who gave it to the Andria Doria. One admiral put it in his cabin and the blue standard of OLG flew from the masthead of the flagship at the Battle of Lepanto. The crescent moon is beneath the feet of the image, just as is mentioned in the Apocalypse (Book of Revelation Chapter 11-12). If you do not know this, you do not know Christian history. Look up the Battle of Lepanto.
Good is Love, but one of his chief attributes is truth.
You can also read Galatians 1: 6-10 to see what St. Paul (the Apostle Paul) in the New Testament said about any “angel from heaven” that preached a false gospel. He warned us.
Julieta and all, I regret bringing up the word “cruzada” (crusade) in the beginning. I do believe the young man in the report did receive help from the intercession of the Virgin for his healing, and I should not have taken away from that point by bringing up the other. I admit I posted my first post too fast, and tried to remedy it in my second post, but it did not show up until Julieta posted hers. Then I became defensive, andI should not have. For that you all have my apologies.
i have a long way to go spiritually
contemplating the route from
South San Francisco to the Cathedral’
i would probably take a “detour” at Molloys
in Colma and the Chicken Coup in Daly City
Just don’t drink too many pints at Molloy’s, Helen, or you might end up in that cemetery across the street.