Bethany Welch
Day 14: December 12
Image Title: Preparations
December 12th marks the memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who was named Patroness of the Americas by Pope John Paul II in 1999. I was first introduced to this Marian apparition when I volunteered in a Latino community in North Philadelphia. A devotion to “La Virgen” grew in my own heart as I saw her image appear over and over again in the lives of those who needed her fierce accompaniment and compassionate intercession. When I later served in a parish with a large Mexican community, I was invited to participate in the annual December celebration that included creating flower filled frames for the life size icons we would carry on our shoulders in a long procession from South Philadelphia to the cathedral basilica in Center City. The scent of roses, the slight pain of fingers pricked by thorns, and cold, tired feet are just some of the memories I associate with this sacred and grace filled act that lands in the weeks of Advent and prepares me for a savior who was born from an inclusive and expansive love.
Bethany Welch teaches at Rutgers University-Camden and works as a Justice and Peace Fellow for the Conference of Major Superiors of Men. She is in formation with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia.