It has been almost a month since the last of the celebrations took place at Our Lady of Guadalupe Houston for the feast of OLG. During that time, Fr. Ari Saputra, an Indonesian SCJ preparing for ministry in the US Province, reflected on his first experience of the feast at our Dehonian parish.
He writes: “At the end of the evening, when the doors of the church were about to close, a young married couple knocked. In their arms was their baby, who had been born prematurely. They begged to be allowed in; the baby had just been released from the hospital and still had a breathing tube. Moved by deep faith, they wanted to come to the church to offer thanks and praise. I was greatly moved by their deep faith. In the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe I found faith that transcends fear and worry.
“This was the first time that I celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Houston. And even though I do not know Spanish properly, I could feel the great the love of the people for their faith and the devotion to Our Lady. As a Dehonian, it reminded me of the need to grow closer to our mother, from whom we can learn how to live fiat, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.’ (Lk 1:38).
“Que viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!”
Click here to read Fr. Ari’s full reflection. He is pictured above (left) with Fr. Floribert Bulo Dhelo, SCJ and two of the traditional dancers who performed during the celebrations.
