Advertisements ad

December 21, 2008

‘Holy pilgrims’ Walking in the steps of Mary and Joseph

By Michelle Martin

ASSISTANT EDITOR

More than 1,000 people crowded onto the sidewalks around Holy Name Cathedral Dec. 14, walking in slow procession to reenact the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus.

The mostly Mexican congregation prayed for immigrants, especially the young, during the 22nd annual archdiocesan posada, whose theme was “Immigrant youth, hope for the people of God.”

The event began with a prayer service and testimonies from young immigrants in the cathedral before the procession to Michigan Avenue and back.

“We came to represent Joseph and Mary,” said Javier Delgado of St. Jerome parish, assisted by translation from his son, Javier Jr. He attended with his wife, Ana, and his children, to pray and to show their faith.

They were among the people who walked, prayed the rosary and sang the song of “santos peregrinos” – “holy pilgrims” – in the soft rain on an unseasonably warm evening.

What are posadas?

Posadas are a primarily Mexican tradition in which people representing Mary and Joseph travel from house to house, seeking shelter. They are refused at each house until they reached the last house for the evening, where they would be recognized and invited in.

There they would pray before celebrating with a piñata for children and refreshments for adults.

Posadas started as a novena, going on for nine straight evenings from Dec. 16-24, with various families offering to host each evening.

While the archdiocesan posada was a one-evening event, many parishes have their own posadas, some for one afternoon or evening, some for several.

In the United States, prayers are offered for immigrants at many posadas, as those who have left their home countries can identify with Mary and Joseph and their search for someone to take them in.

In the archdiocese of Chicago, a special posada was planned by the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform for 7 a.m. Dec. 19, after this issue of the Catholic New World went to press, to pray outside the Broadview Detention Center.

That is where people who are being deported are processed every Friday. The campaign prays the rosary there every Friday morning.

The pain felt by immigrants was not absent from the archdiocesan posada Dec. 14, with those offering testimonies sharing their sadness at being separated from her parents.

Maria Duenez, 16, a parishioner at Providence of God Parish, said she identified most with the testimony given by Vicenta Casas, also a Providence of God parishioner, who has been separated from her parents.

“I’m separated from my parents, too,” said Duenez, who has lived with an older brother since her parents were deported two years ago. “That affected me most.”

But Duenez did not come to the posada to be sorrowful. She came, she said, “to enjoy the night and pray and hear the stories of the immigrants.”

Like Mary and Joseph

Bishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, who led the prayer service, spoke of the efforts made by immigrants, and how tired they are — tired like Mary and Joseph were tired as they searched for shelter.

Like them, Joseph and Mary were young, he said, just as those who portrayed them, Melissa Marquez and Vicente Villanueva, both parishioners at Mision San Juan Diego, are young.

But they come because of their faith, just as thousands of people came to Our Lady of Guadalupe festivities in the middle of the night in Des Plaines because of their faith.

In a church packed with young people and families with children, the bishop made a point of thanking the young people who came out for the posada. He called all who volunteered to make the night a success to the front of the church, noting that many of them are young.

In 2000, Hispanics already made up 40 percent of the Catholics in the Archdiocese of Chicago, according to statistics compiled by the Office of Planning, and that percentage was expected to grow. And they are, as a group, younger than white Anglo or African-American Catholics. According to the numbers provided by the Office of Planning, the median age of Hispanic Catholics was between 21-24.

Father Claudio Diaz, director of Hispanic Ministry for the archdiocese, noted the importance of Hispanic Catholics to the archdiocese when he welcomed the congregation to the cathedral, “the heart of your archdiocese,” he said.

There’s still time to participate in a parish posada

While several parishes have already finished their posadas, several are ongoing. Services generally are in Spanish, and generally involve a prayer service and outdoor procession.

These are among the posadas that will take place between now and Christmas:

  • St. Adalbert, 1650 W. 17th St. Through Dec. 24. Begins at 6:30 p.m. with rosary and a reflection before the pilgrimage. (312) 226-0340.
  • St. Agnes of Bohemia, 2651 S. Central Park Ave. Through Dec. 23. 7 p.m. Mary rides on donkey through the neighborhood. (773) 522-0142.
  • St. Ansgar, 2040 Laurel St., Hanover Park. Two or three days prior to Christmas Eve. 7 p.m. (630) 372-2298.
  • St. Anthony of Padua, 11533 S. Prairie Ave. Through Christmas Eve. 7 p.m. (773) 468-1200.
  • St. Blase, 6101 S. 75th Ave., Summit. Through Dec. 23. 7-9 p.m. (708) 458-0007.
  • St. Charles Borromeo, 1637 N. 37th Ave., Melrose Park. Through Christmas Eve. 7 p.m. (708) 343- 7646.
  • St. Clare of Montefalco, 5443 S. Washtenaw Ave. Through Dec. 23. 7 p.m. Each night a different ministry hosts. (773) 436-4422.
  • St. Donatus, 1939 S. Union St., Blue Island. Through Dec. 23. 7 p.m. Parishioners host the posada each night until Dec. 23, when it is at the church. (708) 385-2890.
  • Epiphany, 2524 S. Keeler Ave. Through Christmas Eve. 6 p.m. (773) 521-1112.
  • St. Frances of Rome, 1428 S. 59th Ct., Cicero. Dec. 21 only. 7 p.m. (708) 652-2140.
  • Good Shepherd, 2719 S. Kolin Ave. Through Dec. 23. 6 p.m. rosary and Mass. (773) 762-2322.
  • Holy Cross-Immaculate Heart of Mary, 4541 S. Wood St. Through Christmas Eve. 6 p.m. Centered around immigration experience. (773) 376-3900.
  • Holy Family/Immaculate Conception/Queen of Peace, Waukegan. Dec. 21 at Holy Family, 450 Keller Ave.; Dec. 22-23 Queen of Peace, 910 14th St., North Chicago. (847) 623-2655.
  • Immaculate Conception, 2745 W. 44th St. Through Christmas Eve. 7 p.m. (773) 523-1402.
  • St. Ita, 1220 W. Catalpa Ave. Through Dec. 23. 6:30 p.m. (773) 742-0314.
  • St. Jerome, 1709 W. Lunt. Through Dec. 23. Starting with rosary at 7 p.m. (773) 262-3170.
  • St. John Bosco, 2250 N. McVicker Ave. Through Dec. 23. 6:15 p.m. Mass followed by 7 p.m. posada. (773) 622-4620.
  • St. Joseph, 4821 S. Hermitage Ave. Through Christmas Eve. 7 p.m. (773) 254-2366.
  • St. Joseph, 114 N. Lincoln Ave, Round Lake. Through Christmas Eve. 7 p.m. (847) 546-3610.
  • St. Kevin, 10509 S. Torrence. Through Dec. 23. 7 p.m. (773) 721-2563.
  • Santa Maria Addolorata, 528 N. Ada St. Through Dec. 22. Starting with rosary at 7 p.m., ending with piñata. (312) 421-3122.
  • Santa Maria del Popolo, 116th N. Lake St., Mundelein. Through Christmas Eve. 7 p.m. (847) 949-8300.
  • St. Mary Magdalene, 8426 S. Marquette Ave. Through Dec. 24. 6:30 p.m. (773) 768-1700.
  • St. Maurice/Blessed Sacrament, 3615 S. Hoyne Ave. Through Christmas Eve. 7 p.m. (773) 847- 3357.
  • Our Lady of Grace, 2455 N. Hamlin Ave. Dec. 21. 5 p.m. (773) 772-5900.
  • Our Lady of Guadalupe, 3200 E. 91st St. Through Christmas Eve. Most days 7:30 p.m.; 7 p.m. Dec. 21. (773) 768-0793.
  • Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 1101 N. 23rd Ave., Melrose Park. Through Christmas Eve. 7 p.m. (708) 344-4140.
  • St. Pancratius, 4025 S. Sacramento Ave. Dec. 21- 23. 7 p.m. (773) 523-5666.
  • St. Pius V, 1919 S. Ashland Ave. Through Dec. 23. 6 p.m. (312) 226-6161.
  • Precious Blood, 2411 W. Congress Parkway. Through Christmas Eve. 7 p.m. (312) 733-5331.
  • St. Procopius, 1641 S. Allport St. Through Christmas Eve. 6:30 p.m. (312) 226-7887.
  • Providence of God, 717 W. 18th St. Through Christmas Eve. 6:30 p.m. rosary, 7 p.m. Mass, 7:45 p.m. posada. (312) 226-2929.
  • St. Simeon, 430 Bohland Ave., Bellwood. Through Christmas Eve. 7 p.m. (708)-547-6868.
  • Transfiguration, 316 W. Mill St., Wauconda. Dec. 21. 4 p.m. Young people from parish reenact the journey in the parish center. (847) 526-2400.
  • Transfiguration of Our Lord, 2609 W. Carmen. Through Dec. 21. 7 p.m. (773) 561-7953.