Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia, will celebrate Mass at Saint Patrick Parish in Norristown, Montgomery County on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Mass will be concelebrated by Reverend Monsignor John Marine, Vicar for Montgomery County, Reverend Louis Bier, Pastor, Saint Patrick Parish, Reverend Charles J. Kennedy, Coordinator for Hispanic Ministry in Montgomery County and Reverend Ignatius Marneni, Parochial Vicar, Saint Patrick Parish. All parishioners are invited to attend.

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrates the four appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1531 to Blessed Juan Diego on a hill outside Mexico City. In 1754, Pope Benedict XIV, authorized a Mass under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe to be celebrated every December 12th. Our Lady of Guadalupe was designated patroness of the Americas by Pope Pius XII in 1945. The Mass will take place on

Wednesday, December 12, 2001
6:45 p.m. Procession
7:00 p.m. Mass
Saint Patrick Parish
714 De Kalb Pike
Norristown, Montgomery County

Saint Patrick Parish is one of 26 parishes in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that offers Mass in Spanish every week. Since 1997, attendance at the weekly Mass in Spanish at Saint Patrick's has increased from 47 people to over 400 and sometimes is standing room only. The majority of those who attend are recent immigrants from Mexico.

Before the Mass begins there will be a procession into the Church. At the front of the procession, several men will carry a large statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe. There will be bilingual booklets for the Mass and a Spanish choir or coro.

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