Patroness Of The Americas and "Our Lady's Twinkies!"

~It was a Glorious Gaudete Sunday~

We are re-JOY-cing!

Through a tough couple of weeks, Our Lady was always there

as I prepared for my True Devotion Consecration renewal on 
Our Patroness of the America's Feast Day.

A beautiful statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe was brought into the church after 
the first Sunday of Advent.

I stopped into the church for some quiet prayer time and she captured my heart.  There she stood in the foreground of the tabernacle, beckoning me closer to her Son.

Isn't this what she does best?

I couldn't resist taking a few photos with my phone to record such a special moment.

I was captivated...

And glad there was no one else in the church at the time!

Slowly more and more roses appeared as we neared the

Feast of St. Juan Diego...

In anticipation of Her Miracle,

until this lovely shrine appeared today,

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe!

We were able to catch the parade...

We jumped in, with our friends, to join the procession through our city streets and neighborhoods.

A young girl and boy dress the parts of Our Lady of Guadalupe 

and St. Juan Diego each year.

They ride on a flat bed truck through the back streets of town.

Music is played and Father leads our procession,while praying the rosary in Spanish

on a microphone.

Our church is the final destination, followed by a Spanish Mass.

Our family looks forward to the procession each year!

It was quite a nice crowd today, beginning at our  

City Post Office.

We closed out the Feast Day with 

Make-Your-Own-Burritos 

and

Ladyfinger cookies for dessert...

These were store-bought...I just added the icing.

I chuckled when the kids thought they were twinkies!

Yep, "Our Lady's Twinkies"...

My new name for these sweet little cookies.

Ave Maria!