by April Deocariza

After Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego in 1531, nearly nine million indigenous people in Mexico converted to the Catholic faith, and she became the patroness of the unborn and the Americas. Nearly 500 years later, Our Lady’s influence and intercession remain, felt even 2,000 miles away from where it all began in Mexico City.

Since August 2022, women have met monthly at St. Gertrude Catholic Church in Madeira for the Las Guadalupanas Spanish rosary group. It has brought together from across the Archdiocese women who represent 14 nationalities, spanning the U.S. and Mexico down to El Salvador and Argentina, providing a shining representation of Our Lady’s patronage of the Americas.

Responding to Our Lady’s Call

A native of Panama and a St. Gertrude parishioner, Dina Henderson, was inspired to create the group for Our Lady after a “transformative experience” during a retreat. “I felt a call from the Blessed Mother to do something for her, but I didn’t know exactly what it was,” Henderson said. She shared her experience with St. Gertrude’s Father John Mark Solitario, OP, who encouraged her to continue conversing with the Blessed Mother in prayer. As she prepared for Sunday Mass at the end of June 2022, Henderson received the distinct message to “pray the Rosary.” Las Guadalupanas now meets every first Saturday of the month from 9–10 a.m. to pray the rosary and to read and meditate on the day’s Gospel in Spanish.

Fruits from Our Mother

For Las Guadalupanas attendees, the fruit goes beyond having a monthly prayer group. It fosters a deep sense of belonging and community among both Latinas and non-Latinas and of celebration for culture and traditions.

Iris Lydy, a parishioner of The Community of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church, has attended Las Guadalupanas since the fall of 2022. The experience not only evoked nostalgia for her home in Costa Rica, but also cured her empty- nester loneliness after her daughters’ departure for college. “It was a blessing for me to connect with so many Latinas, which I haven’t had since I moved [to Cincinnati] 17 years ago,” said Lydy.

The group also enabled these women to uphold cherished cultural traditions. One participant opened her home last year for their families to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which coincided with the start of the Christmas novena Las Posadas, popular in Latin America, and provided a unique opportunity to continue this special tradition.

Father Solitario’s regular attendance at Las Guadalupanas was instrumental, Henderson said, because women could also receive the sacrament of Reconciliation with him in Spanish.

“That was very powerful to be able to do confession in their native tongue,” she said.

Las Guadalupanas has impacted even non- Spanish speakers, such as St. Gertrude parishioner Anne Marie Schmidt, who said, “I like Hispanic culture and the family atmosphere of the group.” Not fluent in the Spanish rosary prayers (which are printed for the meetings), Schmidt still had a heartfelt encounter with the Blessed Mother. “There was a time in particular when we prayed the rosary that I entered into the mysteries and sensed Mary’s loving presence,” Schmidt said.

Future Plans

Henderson hopes to organize a Las Guadalupanas retreat: “I want [to see] the community keep growing and offering one another spiritual support.”

She was nervous when the Blessed Mother first placed a call on her heart to form a group, since she had never organized a ministry before. But the Blessed Mother equips those she calls.

“Our Lady has made it all fall into place at the right time,” said Henderson. “I’m her tool and she has made [this work] feel light for me. Our Lady has made me feel like she’s with me on this.”

This article appeared in the December 2023 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.