Days of Guadalupe

Sister holds a turtle made by one of the nuns

We have been celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the past four days!! Besides being the feast of  Our Lady of the Americas (north, central and south), it is also the Feast Day of our prioress, Sister Maria Guadalupe.

We began on Saturday with our joyful greetings and a song, then snacks and games, \”talking\” meals in the Community Room, and concluding with the Nutcracker Suite in the evening.

On Sunday she opened her many beautiful gifts, which the prioress uses in the name of the Community – usually going to the Gift Shop, our annual Raffle, or benefactors and friends. Each Sister is very talented in a unique area. We concluded the day with a movie in Spanish from Peru about a Dominican Nun!! This excellent film was about Blessed Ana of the Angels who lived in Arequipa, Peru in the 17th century.

On Tuesday, the actual liturgical Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we had the joy of watching some Matachine dancers from our parish, St. Patrick. The Matachines dance for religious purposes – to worship God, Christ, or to honor the Virgin Mary or a saint. The custom originated with the encounter of the native Indians and the Spanish conquistadors. The practice now reaches from northern Mexico to as far south as Peru. Their costumes and fancy foot work were amazing.