Cristo Rey Columbus High School celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, on Friday, Dec. 12 with a dedication and blessing of a mural made in her honor.
An Our Lady of Guadalupe mural was painted by Cristo Rey staff members and is located on the second floor of the building. The image was designed in an effort to incorporate more Catholic art into the school.
Several students joined the bishop and school chaplain, Father Joseph Thomas, who also serves as parochial vicar at Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral and Holy Cross Church, for the mural’s dedication and blessing.
Several Marian apparitions are recognized by the Church that could compliment a school, such as Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, but Cristo Rey discerned an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe to be most appropriate.
“For our school, which is quite culturally diverse, we wanted an image of Mary that would unite both culture and faith. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the perfect symbol of this and having her displayed in our school shows our students that they are embraced and loved,” said Lynn Truitt, director of marketing at Cristo Rey.
The school has celebrated the feast of Our Lady for the past three years. The tradition began in 2023 with a procession and Mass celebrated by Bishop Fernandes, who has continued to be part of the tradition each year.
feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe was celebrated again this year following the mural dedication. Students processed with a statue of Our Lady to St. Joseph Cathedral, where the bishop celebrated a bilingual Mass.
The Cristo Rey community was accompanied by Matachines, musicians and dance troupe from St. Paul the Apostle parish in Norwalk, Ohio. Matachines blends medieval, early Spanish and pre-conquest Aztec dance traditions.
