October is one of my favorite months. This cool and brisk month continues Latino Heritage Month, which spans from September 15 to October 12. For many Latinos, October is a month of amazing Marian celebrations, deeply incorporated into the culture.  In the rich festivity of Latino Heritage Month, Americans are cordially invited to take a moment to celebrate the rich contributions of Latinos to our U.S. melting pot. Among our diverse and significant heritage, our love for Mother Mary is a beautiful value and tradition that we bring to our cultural celebrations.

Those who know me know that I have a strong devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. In other words, I am a Guadalupana. My earliest memories include visiting the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. As a little girl, every time my grandparents visited, we would go to pray to La Morenita (loving nickname for Our Lady of Guadalupe). My grandparents would join the long lines of pilgrims who entered the Basilica on their knees. They modeled for me their utmost reverence and love for La Virgencita (a loving nickname for our Lady of Guadalupe).

My home, school, neighborhood tiendita (store), and panaderia (bakery), and everywhere I went, an image of our Lady of Guadalupe was present. She was a constant reminder of comfort, interceding for me and always pointing me to Jesus. Our Lady of Guadalupe was also a great motivator for celebration on December 12, as the Mexican faithful would gather early in the morning for a party for Las Mañanitas! (“The Little Mornings or the Mexican Happy Birthday Song”)

The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe was also the start of my favorite season. It was the start of champurrado time, and the Guadalupe-Reyes season. Her presence as our mother and guide to Jesus was always palpable. My love for our Lady of Guadalupe is in my DNA. I learned to love her, respect her, and ask for her help in loving Jesus. This is what my family, neighborhood, and community taught me.

When my family and I migrated to the United States, I brought with me my devotion for our Lady of Guadalupe.  Throughout my travels in the United States, whether in Texas or the Northeast, I met many Latinos, and regardless of the differences in our personal journeys and life views, what we shared was our love for Our Lady of Guadalupe and other Latin American Marian apparitions.

Latinos everywhere share not only a love for our Mother Mary but also see her as a model of strength and a sign of hope. Mary’s apparitions hold a special story and a unique relationship between Mother Mary and the people of the Americas. Her message of hope, conveyed in each of her apparitions, takes place during times of challenge, and it is here that Mary consoles the suffering, the persecuted, and the marginalized. Her message is the same today.

Mary calls her children to hold on to strength, united in faith, and follow Jesus.

Mother Mary offers her children comfort and calls us to deepen our love for Jesus in a spirit of courageous faith. As a Mary-loving Latina, I find inspiration in the stories of resilience, the Latino love for Mary, and her rich manifestations as mother and indicator to Jesus.

Each Latin American country has a beloved Marian devotion that is part of their DNA  and play an essential role in the lives and faith of people. I want to share a few of these celebrations and stories with you next.

• On September 8, the Cuban community celebrated La Señora de la Caridad del Cobre. Among Cubans, La Señora del Cobre provides a message of unity, strength, and courage. At this shrine, Mother Mary has a special message to migrants who have been forced out of their land.  She reminds her children in Cuba and the United States to stay grounded in their faith, even in the middle of despair and when feeling completely lost.

• During October, the people of Guatemala celebrate Nuestra Señora del Rosario. Starting on October 7, Guatemalans embark on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Guatemala City and celebrate throughout the month. Named the Patroness of Guatemala in 1651, our Lady of the Rosary, was brought to Guatemala in the 1500s by the Dominicans. La Señora del Rosario is an integral part of the faithful in Guatemala. In her message, she tells the faithful of the mysteries of the life of Jesus.

• Brazil has a special devotion to our Lady of Aparecida. In Costa Rica, Our Lady of the Angels is the patroness, and in the Dominican Republic, Our Lady of Altagracia holds a special devotion.  Let’s not forget our Lady of Pilar on October 12.

While not everyone holds the same love and devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe as I do, I have learned that Latinos hold a special love and relationship with Mother Mary that can enrich all of us.

During the remainder of this Latino Heritage Month, I encourage you to invite your favorite Latino for coffee, ice cream, or a walk, and ask them about their favorite Marian devotion.

I would also like to invite you to a special TGIF Zoom session on Praying with Mary in Discernment tonight, Friday, October 3, 2025, starting at 7:30 pm. To join, email me at ana.gonzalez@oppeace.org or call or text me at (475) 224-0519, to register and to receive a Zoom link. I would also encourage you to share the invite to our Praying with Mary in Discernment with anyone who might be considering God’s invitation to discern a vocation. For more information about discernment and to participate in upcoming events, please visit https://oppeace.org/become-a-sister/.

Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Tepeyac, Mexico. 

Procession of the Faithful throughout the streets of Guatemala. Native, Meztisos, rich, poor, all walk together, led by our Lady of the Rosary throughout the streets of Guatemala City. 

A mural at the National Shrine of the Señora de la Caridad del Cobre in Miami that narrates the struggle for freedom of the Cuban people, and showcases the faith and love that the migrant community has for Jesus and Mother Mary.