A celebration that normally draws about 10 million people to Mexico City will not take place this year.
The Archdiocese of Mexico announced that no liturgical celebration will take place at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the December 12 feast day that honors the “Patroness of the Americas.”
The celebrations normally begin on the night of December 11 and draw millions to the area surrounding the basilica.
In light of the continuing danger of spreading the novel coronavirus, Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, the Mexican Bishops’ Conference, and shrine officials are inviting Mexicans to celebrate the feast in local parishes and family settings instead.
The celebrations commemorate the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Juan Diego in 1531. The tilma on which an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared is still venerated in the basilica.
