NEWS RELEASE
December 5, 2023
CONTACT
Cristina Hernandez, Coordinator of Hispanic Ministry
(330) 744-8451, ext. 317; chernandez@youngstowndiocese.org
ADDITIONAL MEDIA CONTACT
Justin Huyck, Director of Communications
(330) 744-8451, ext. 320; jhuyck@youngstowndiocese.org
Our Lady Guadalupe Mass and Dinner will be held on December 12 and the first diocesan Las Posadas on December 16
The Diocese of Youngstown welcomes all to participate in two December events which are of great importance to its Hispanic community. Both events are part of the diocese’s growing commitment to Hispanic Ministry and provide an opportunity for Hispanics and the wider community to come together to pray, celebrate and learn more about our diverse Catholic cultures. Both events will be offered primarily in Spanish but will be translated as needed for English speakers.
The diocese invites the community to Mass at St. Columba Cathedral at 6 p.m. on December 12 for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, with the rosary for Our Lady of Guadalupe beginning before Mass at 5:30 p.m. This Mass will conclude a multi-week effort in which Hispanic families throughout the six-county diocese have been praying the rosary with their families, in the presence of ten statues that have been moving from home to home. All statues will be in the Cathedral before the Mass. The Most Rev. David J. Bonnar, Bishop of Youngstown, will preside at the 6 p.m. Mass with the various diocesan priests who celebrate Mass in Spanish or serve the Hispanic community. After the Mass, all are welcome at the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel to celebrate with dinner and cultural presentations presented by Hispanic parishes, schools and groups from throughout the diocese. The feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a significant feast day in Mexico and throughout the Americas, recalling the appearance of Saint Mary to Saint Juan Diego, an indigenous man in the 16th-century in what is now Mexico, and the famous and widely-venerated image of Mary that was imprinted on his cloak.
Additionally, on December 16, all are welcome to the first diocesan Las Posadas in St. Dominic Church (Youngstown) from 6 to 9 p.m. The event will include singing and processions, traditional food and beverages from the different Hispanic and Latino/a nationalities that are present in the diocese, ending with the breaking of piñatas. The celebration of Las Posadas (Spanish for “inn” or “lodging”) is a religious festival celebrated in Mexico that commemorates the journey Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a safe place to stay where Mary could give birth to Jesus.
The Diocese of Youngstown’s Office of Hispanic Ministry includes support for a variety of ministries, including Spanish-language Masses at four parishes: Our Lady of Peace Parish in Ashtabula, St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Canton, St. Paul Parish in Salem and St. Dominic Parish in Youngstown. The Office of Hispanic Ministry also supports the Diocese of Youngstown’s participation in the pastoral services of the Hartville Migrant Ministry. Cristina Hernandez serves as diocesan coordinator of Hispanic Ministry and chair of the Diocesan Council for Hispanic Ministry, which acts as a catalyst for strategic planning for the diocese’s Hispanic ministry efforts. For more information about Hispanic Ministry in the Diocese of Youngstown, visit: https://doy.org/ministries/ministerio-hispano/
