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The People’s Procession
There was an excitement in the air, an energy in the Save-a-Lot parking lot at 6:30 p.m. on December 11. The Faithful had begun arriving in cars, vans, and pickup trucks, pouring out of each vehicle as the crowd continued to grow. Family after family arrived, with mothers carrying babies, teens helping abuelas, fathers leading the toddlers.
The dancers were warming up, off to the side of the large icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Their decorative skirts rattled and shook as they danced in time to the beating of the large drum and the rhythmic shaking of maracas. The colorful skirts were covered in little hoops and rings and shimmering decorations that made a wonderfully rattling clatter of a sound as the dancers moved. The hard soles of their shoes clicked and clacked in time with the drum as the lines of dancers wove in and out and around each other.
Our Lady was seated on the altarcito moible, a movable altar, which would be carried by four people in the procession. The altar was adorned with flowers, cedar boughs, and candles; there was also some battery powered lighting for good measure.
The warmup dancing stopped, and with a quick blessing by the priest and the nun, the procession set off. First came a couple of banner sized images of Our Lady of Guadalupe, proudly held aloft by two of the pillars of the faith community.
The dancers came next, with their rhythmic shaking and stomping in time with the drum. Following the dancers was Our Lady of Guadalupe, her altarcito resting on the shoulders of the people. She was carried by four people at a time, with the honor being split between the faithful as they switched carriers every couple of blocks.
Following the altarcito with Our Lady was the main procession, made up of hundreds of faithful Catholics, some dressed in tilmas reminiscent of Juan Diego, and some carrying smaller icons of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Obviously, there were rosary beads aplenty.
 The crowd numbering over 500 had come out in chilly mid-December for a night of singing and praying and following Our Lady to Historic St. Paul Catholic Church in downtown Lexington. There may have been other processions in town to celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe, but this was the largest.
The number of young people was amazing. There were babies riding on their parents’ backs, babies and kids in strollers, middle schoolers making each other laugh, and high schoolers texting each other to meet at the next stop. Through it all, a young trio of guitarists wandered up and down the procession, leading the people in song.
The procession made four stops, each one stocked with cakes and hot chocolate for the pilgrims. At each stop, a decade of the Rosary was recited, along with a couple of prayers and a couple of songs.
After everyone caught their breath, especially the dancers, the procession would start off again, with singing, dancing, and praying.
Despite the best efforts of the organizers, the sidewalk was a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of people. Initiated and led by the people of God, the procession to St. Paul from Versailles Road has happened for over a decade. Over the years it has grown, despite other processions to other churches occurring on the same weekend.
By the time the procession reached Short Street, the sidewalk didn’t matter anymore. Our Lady and her celebration filled the entire street, and the music and dancing increased in intensity.
When the procession reached the steps of St. Paul, the dancers picked up the pace, as their twirling movements took on a frenzied intensity. Everyone, from the tiniest baby to the oldest abuela, was enthralled by the hypnotic rhythm of the dancers, and swayed and tapped their feet along with the music.
As the last drumbeat faded, Fr. Richard Watson said the prayer of blessing and welcome, and invited everyone into the church for Mass. He estimated that the crowd had grown to 800 people who were in attendance for the Mass to celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Mass was followed by the play recounting the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego in 1531. After the play, which featured young parishioners in the major roles, the Mariachi band serenaded the congregation until after 1 a.m.
The abundance of food for all the faithful to enjoy at the conclusion of the celebration was appropriately placed in the Ave Maria Building.
Our parish is truly blessed to have such dedicated and enthusiastic members. The customs and traditions brought to Saint Paul by our Hispanic brothers and sisters are beautiful and exciting, and a testament to the love and devotion they hold for the Lord.