Last week, we held our annual procession and Mass for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, celebrated by Bishop of Columbus, The Most Reverend Earl K. Fernandes. This year’s event included the dedication and blessing of the new Our Lady of Guadalupe mural, which was painted by CRC staff and is located on the second floor of the school. A group of students gathered with Bishop Fernandes and school chaplain Father Joseph Thomas to witness the dedication and blessing of the image, which has particular importance for our school. “Mary was making a visitation to the people of the Americas, an encounter between faith and culture,” explained Bishop Fernandes. “What we see at Cristo Rey is a diverse body of students, an encounter of different people from different cultural backgrounds. But the centrality of faith is what is important and what makes a difference in these students’ lives.”

After the dedication and blessing, the entire school processed to St. Joseph Cathedral, led by students carrying a statue of Mary as well as musicians and dancers from St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Norwalk, Ohio. The traditional music and dancing created a festive atmosphere for the bilingual Mass, which was concelebrated by Bishop Fernandes, Father Thomas, our former school chaplain Father David Arroyo, and board member Deacon Paul Zemanek.