Traditions at Sagrado Corazón

Rosary and prayer book.

The Hispanic community at Sacred Heart holds various celebrations each year. Some of those traditions include major holidays that are celebrated in other Catholic churches as well. In December, one of the first celebrations is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Guadalupe is considered to be the Queen of the Americas. She is an important figure to the Catholic community because she is the mother of Jesus. She is often called "the Mexican Mary." Her feast day is celebrated on December twelfth, a day full of dancing, singing, and food. Father John described the previous year’s celebration:

"Every year it's different. In the morning we begin with singing las mañanitas [the Spanish ‘happy birthday song’] and then in the evening we will do Mass and we have been fortunate enough in the past years to have mariachis. We love having them come because they know the mass and they are wonderful to hear. Some years we also have Aztec dancers. And then after that, we usually have a large dinner. It is usually a big extravaganza. It is a big deal and it is also very nice."¹

When I asked Agapito about the traditions, the first one he mentioned was the celebration for Our Lady of Guadalupe. He then proceeded to talk about the large amounts of food that are made for the festivities of the day, most of which are traditional Mexican meals.² Both the Anglo and Hispanic communities came together for the huge celebration. What was interesting, according to Father Ubaldo, was that many of the Anglos continuously said that the celebration was a part of the "Mexican Religion," which was something he did not necessarily agree with:

 "I feel like the way we celebrate it brings it more life and allows for the Anglo community to learn from it. Honestly, a lot of our traditions are beautiful, and I feel that the Hispanic community is the one who keeps the spirit alive because of how upbeat and loving we are with Catholicism."³

In December, the Hispanic community also celebrates the "Posadas." The posadas are the re-enactments of Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem. Because many of the Hispanic community members come from Mexico, they have grown up learning the proper ways to dress the kids up, organize the families, and lead the rosary. Traditionally, the posadas are celebrated outside, but because Minnesota is so cold in December, the community members find different ways to make sure the weather does not interfere. Right after the posadas (which end on December 24th), the community prepares for Christmas.

There are also celebrations for Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, and Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion.

Besides the big celebrations, the church also holds weddings, baptisms, first communions, confirmations, and quinceañeras, which are coming of age celebrations for Hispanic girls at age 15. Though the community members are so far away from their homes, it is interesting to see how they have managed to make the Sacred Heart Parish feel more like home. Even if the community is small, the impact that they all have when they come together for the celebrations, according to Father John, is beautiful.