On Sunday, October 12, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Our Lady of Guadalupe parish community, giving us a chance to reflect on our journey over the years.
Therefore, I am now going to allure her. I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. (Hosea 2:14)
In these circumstances, the Spanish-speaking Catholic community in Edmonton was established. We came from a time of desert and uncertainty, leaving behind our loved ones and familiar places; however, God prepared a new home for us, where, despite the pain of leaving, we would encounter Him.
Our first Eucharist took place at Sacred Heart Church on October 13, 1975. There, they began welcoming many people from Latin America who were suffering from political and economic instability. Many of those Catholic immigrants started participating in the Catholic community, hoping to reconnect with the church they had to leave behind.
Here, we found other Spanish-speaking Catholics who were more established, and they worked hard to organize the Catholic community.
However, it was not until 1991, with the efforts of many parishioners and the assistance of Rev. Jose Delicio Artico SC, that we managed to acquire our own Church, which was purchased from a Baptist congregation. On October 11, 1992, Archbishop Joseph MacNeil blessed and dedicated our Church as “Our Lady of Guadalupe,” the first Spanish-speaking parish.
Over these fifty years, many men and women, families, religious men and women, deacons, priests, and bishops have worked together to build and strengthen this parish. All of them have been moved and inspired by the same conviction that we can do nothing on our own and that it would be pointless to work if the Lord were not with us. This parish is the Lord’s work, and each of us is his servant, who with humility and generosity has served and continues to serve for the sake of proclaiming his Gospel and building his Kingdom among us.
We thank God for all the different congregations of priests and sisters. In the beginning, there were the Missionaries of St. Charles, known as the Scalabrini Fathers, along with the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence. Today, the Society of Priests of Saint-Sulpice and the Congregation of the Ursulines of Jesus continue to serve the community.
Our Lady of Guadalupe parish serves as a gathering place for nearly 20 Spanish-speaking countries, and it is only faith that unites us; the community welcomes those who arrive from afar. Despite our different circumstances, we are nourished by our diversity and continue to open our doors to those who, in these times, still have to leave their land and shelter.
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“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom … (Isaiah 35:1)
Our community flourishes today; it is a great joy to participate in and listen to the Eucharist in Spanish. It is also a pleasure to see children attending Children’s Catechism classes, as well as girls, boys, and young people taking part in various catechism sessions. This includes an annual retreat for couples, the youth group YTOL, the Spanish Charismatic Renewal group, and the couples’ group, the Teams of Our Lady. We also have a large group of altar servers. Our community is very generous with its time; we thank everyone involved in different ministries. Additionally, groups from various countries prepare and share lunch each Sunday after all the Masses, fostering community.
We are genuinely blessed to mark our anniversary during the Jubilee year. We are pilgrims of hope; we aim to serve as a shining beacon of hope in these times. As members of this faith community, we truly believe that the entire church joyfully shares in this hopeful celebration with us.
On Sunday, October 12, we celebrated a glorious Eucharist with Rev. Paul Kavanagh, Archdiocesan Administrator, as the main celebrant, alongside the Rector of St. Joseph Seminary – Rev. Sylvain Casavant, PSS; our pastor, Rev. Augusto Garcias, PSS; Deacon Mauricio Amador, and seminarian Sedale Coronel.
We will finish celebrating this 50th anniversary in December on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
-Written by Sister Pilar Valdés U.J., pastoral coordinator of Our Lady of Guadalupe parish
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All of this motivates us to look forward and follow in God’s footsteps; in Him, we give thanks and rejoice like Mary, saying:
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid (Magnificat of Mary)