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Fiesta celebrates Marian friendship
By Ambria Hammel, The Catholic Sun
October 18, 2007
TOLLESON — Blessed Sacrament parishioners marched through neighborhood streets earlier this month carrying an enshrined statue of the Virgin Mary and a 25-foot rosary.
That’s how they began the more than 50-year-old Fiesta de Amistad this year. But the rosary wasn’t always so prominent. That is, until parishioners began a greater Marian devotion and saw a need to rekindle prayer within families.
“I really wanted that to be the forefront of what we were doing,” said Fr. Michael Reinhardt, the parish pastor, who noted that the weekend-long event was also about evangelization.
So instead of giving out candy to those watching the parade Oct. 6, a few parishioners gave away handmade rosaries and prayer guides. Those parishioners belong to a budding group at Blessed Sacrament devoted to praying the cenacles, a devotion which helps Catholics grow closer to Mary and prepare for the Holy Spirit.
The prayer format is centered on the rosary and meditations from messages the Blessed Mother gave at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917.
The celebration coincided with the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.
“There was a lot of people with tears in their eyes,” said Freddie Villalon, a Knight of Columbus who processed behind la Virgen and the rosary. “They just felt the presence of the Holy Spirit.”
He said others watching the parade later told him that they could feel the importance of what it means to be Catholic when la Virgen and the cenacle group passed.
Fr. Reinhardt wanted Mary to be at the front of the parade because she embodied the fiesta’s theme, “Loving and living amistad,” or friendship.
“I think she’s probably the best example of living amistad” and living unconditional love, Fr. Reinhardt said.
Parishioner Armando Morado remembers Fr. Reinhardt shouting, “Viva la Virgen!” as he passed during the parade.
Some onlookers sitting on city sidewalks or in their front yards clapped as the pastor, the rosary group and the statue of the Blessed Mother passed.
The half-mile parade ended at the 54-year-old parish, where Fr. Reinhardt and some participants, carrying the statue of Mary, passed by the concession stands. The priest sprinkled each one and the volunteers with holy water.
The parish community spent the weekend in fellowship through food, music, dancing, amusement rides and live entertainment.
For some parishioners, the entertainment kept cultural traditions alive.
Several folklorico groups performed throughout the weekend, including a group of parishioners from Oaxaca, Mexico. The Fiesta de Amistad coincided with a holy week celebrated in Oaxaca in honor of Señor Tiacolula, the patron of the town.
The group performed jarabe, a native dance honoring the crucified Christ.
“I didn’t know anything about this until we got the image of Christ here” a couple of years ago, said Daisy Nuñez, one of the young dancers. She likes performing at the fiesta every year because it helps her learn about her native country.
Fr. Reinhardt hoped the native dancers and the mariachi group that played at Mass sent a message culturally of “how the love of Christ reflects in one another.”
The fiesta also included a softball tournament, a meal at a parishioner’s home and a cash prize raffle. Event proceeds support parish ministries including religious education, the teen program and a forthcoming preschool program.
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