Homenaje at Holy Family Church unites community of faith

The Guadalupanas at Holy Family hosted their annual Homenaje in celebration of the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe recently. Many performers traveled from throughout South Texas to pay homage to Our Lady of Guadalupe, including mariachis, matachines, folklorico dancers and singers.

Silvia Hernandez-Salazar, a 28-year parishioner at Holy Family and leader with the Guadalupanas at Holy Family, said although the event takes many hours of work, it was truly worth the effort.

“We worked hard to bring together all of these groups tonight,” she said. “And seeing all of our parishioners gathered here tonight, along with other faithful from around diocese, makes us proud to be part of such a meaningful and heartfelt event.”

The celebration started with colorful matachines, traditional dancers dating back to the Aztecs and Mayans, who dressed in costume and honored Our Lady of Guadalupe with interpretive dance.

Local 14-year-old singing sensation Lezlie Valadez sang several songs of love and devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, as did Mariachi Celestial, from Kingsville. The evening ended with visitors paying respects to la Virgen de Guadalupe by presenting her with roses at the altar, reminiscent of the moment St. Juan Diego presented Our Lady of Guadalupe with roses from his tilma.