![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Guadalupe-1-1-1024x683.jpg\")
Linda Limon, left, and her husband, Efrain Lopez, right, pose alongside their children in front of a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12, 2025. (David Moreno | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\nThe Grapevine neighborhood in which St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church is nestled stood dark and quiet in the early hours of Friday morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But inside the church, jingling tambourines and strumming of acoustic guitars enveloped nearly 60 parishioners as they serenaded the mother of Jesus in honor of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.<\/p>\n
Dec. 12 is a holy day for Catholics who celebrate the belief that Our Lady of Guadalupe, also known as the Virgin Mary or simply Guadalupe, appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico in 1531.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Members clapped in unison and sang hymns such as \u201cBuenos Dias, Paloma Blanca\u201d and \u201cLa Guadalupana.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDesde el cielo una hermosa ma\u00f1ana la guadalupana baj\u00f3 al tepeyac.\u201d<\/p>\n
One parishioner keeping the beat was Efrain Lopez, who arrived at 6 a.m. alongside his wife, Linda Limon, and their five children. Lopez shouldered one of his crying children as his family sang along in the pews.<\/p>\n
Linda Limon, left, and her husband, Efrain Lopez, right, pose alongside their children in front of a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12, 2025. (David Moreno | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
Sometimes it\u2019s a challenge getting the family of seven out of the house \u2014 but this morning wasn\u2019t the case, said Lopez, who has been coming to the parish for over a decade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The parents believe it\u2019s important for their children to understand and stay connected to their faith and culture, he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe love our mother, and she\u2019s very important in our lives. So today is very special for us as Mexicans but (also) as Catholics,\u201d Lopez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Guadalupe\u2019s significance in Mexican culture
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Our Lady of Guadalupe is a significant symbol for Mexican communities. She is typically depicted as a pregnant Indigenous woman surrounded by sunbeams. (David Moreno | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
According to the Catholic Church, Jesus\u2019 mother appeared to Juan Diego<\/a> on Tepeyac Hill, which is now a suburb in Mexico City. Diego was a poor farmer of Aztec descent who had recently converted to Christianity.\u00a0<\/p>\n She presented herself as a pregnant Indigenous woman surrounded by rays of sun. She had a four-petaled flower over her womb and stood on a crescent moon supported by an angel, a symbolic representation of her as a motherly figure, according to the Catholic Church.\u00a0<\/p>\n Guadalupe gave Juan Diego two gifts: out-of-season Castilian roses that bloomed in December<\/a> and an image of herself imprinted on his cloak<\/a> as proof to the local bishop that she had appeared. A shrine in her honor was built on the hill and is now considered one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage sites<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The feast day is significant both culturally and spiritually for Mexican communities since the Lady of Guadalupe serves as the country\u2019s patron saint, said Sister Laura Martinez with St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. Juan Diego was canonized as a saint in 2002 by Pope John Paul II.<\/p>\n Guadalupe\u2019s historic image is heavily embedded in Mexican culture and represented on everything from candles to blankets to tattoos and jewelry.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSince she arrived with all these Mexican symbols, we recognize her as \u2018la gran madre,\u2019\u201d Sister Martinez said in Spanish. \u201cShe presents herself as more than the sun, more than the moon and more than the stars.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Catholics honor the mother of Jesus over nine days leading up to the feast day in a variety of ways: masses, rosaries, flower bouquets and a traditional religious dance called \u201cmatachines.\u201d They welcome Dec. 12 by singing \u201cLas Ma\u00f1anitas,\u201d a song typically sung on birthdays or holidays after midnight or at dawn.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nine days of us saying, \u2018Mother, we honor you and celebrate you because you have graced us with your presence,\u2019\u201d Sister Martinez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Virgin mother\u2019s maternal spirit<\/p>\n Lilia Norcutt, a 20-year parishioner at St. Francis of Assisi, didn\u2019t struggle to get out of bed early Friday morning because she frequently prays to the Lady of Guadalupe during difficult moments in her life, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n She sported a black gaban \u2014 a type of Mexican poncho \u2014 adorned with blue thread stitched into images of the Lady of Guadalupe.\u00a0<\/p>\n Honoring the Virgin of Guadalupe once a year is similar to the happiness someone feels when they see their own mother for the first time after months apart, Norcutt said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cComing to church this morning felt like I was visiting my mom,\u201d she said in Spanish.<\/p>\n Following the early morning of song and praying the rosary, attendees broke bread with conchas, a type of pan dulce, and coffee in the fellowship hall.\u00a0<\/p>\n Daylight peeked through the windows. Conversation buzzed through the church hallways as departing and arriving parishioners stopped to greet each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n Those quiet neighborhood streets were no more. Guadalupe\u2019s spirit breathed life into the church and flowed outside along with the congregation.<\/p>\n Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports<\/a>.<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n This <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2025\/12\/12\/tarrant-catholics-honor-patron-saint-of-mexico-with-song-cultural-traditions\/”>article<\/a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org”>Fort Worth Report<\/a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nd\/4.0\/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<img src=”https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fortworthreport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&quality=80&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”><\/p>\n <img id=”republication-tracker-tool-source” src=”https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/?republication-pixel=true&post=326091&ga4=2820184429″ style=”width:1px;height:1px;”><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: “https:\/\/fortworthreport.org\/2025\/12\/12\/tarrant-catholics-honor-patron-saint-of-mexico-with-song-cultural-traditions\/”, urlref: window.location.href }); } } <\/script> <script id=”parsely-cfg” src=”\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/fortworthreport.org\/p.js”><\/script>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Guadalupe-1-3-1024x683.jpg\")
Parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church sported their favorite accessories with images of the Virgin of Guadalupe on Dec. 12, 2025. (David Moreno | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Guadalupe--1024x683.jpg\")
Parishioners sing several songs in honor of the Lady of Guadalupe during the 6 a.m. rosary on Dec. 12, 2025. (David Moreno | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n