“I’m blessed, very blessed to witness her,” said Vivian Leon, of Chalan Pago. She was among the dozens of residents who gathered early Tuesday morning at the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica in Hagåtña to participate in the celebration of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Leon said she misses the gathering of Catholic residents from the various parishes. However, she said, “there’s a reason as to why we’re going through this journey, God put things in our path.”
Dec. 8 was the feast day of Santa Marian Kamalen. The historic statue of Our Lady made a highly anticipated islandwide visitation to all villages and parishes instead of the traditional gathering and procession at the Cathedral-Basilica.
Local residents wait for the arrival of the statue of Santa Marian Kamalen outside St. Anthony’s Church in Tamuning on Tuesday. Photo by David Castro/The Guam Daily Post
Guam’s Catholic faithful line the road as the statue of Santa Marian Kamalen drives past at the beginning of an islandwide visitation of the parishes starting at the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica on Dec. 8, 2020. Photo by David Castro/The Guam Daily Post
Monsignor James Benavente, who organized Tuesday’s event, said on Tuesday morning that residents were grateful to see the patron saint when she made her first islandwide journey around the island in May.
“I think it’s going to be a wonderful thing,” he said Tuesday morning. “Many people are looking forward to having her come by to visit them at their own villages.”
Margaret Mesngon, from Toto but who is with the Cathedral-Basilica parish, was at Hagåtña on Tuesday morning.
“It’s hard on a lot of us,” she said of the inability to hold the annual procession that brings the parishes together in Hagåtña. “We’re not used to this…because of what we’re going through but we want everyone to celebrate with us.”
“It’s very touching to a lot of people where you would actually tear,” she said, speaking of the day of prayer as a community and seeing the blessed mother. “There’s a feeling that we’re going to get better.”
Mesngon encouraged the island to follow the public health guidelines as the island goes into its ninth month in the pandemic.
“We’re just going to have to follow what we need to do, there’s protocols…and I think if follow that we’ll get better,” she said. “(And) stay safe, keep your distance and let’s just do what we gotta do. Also a lot of praying is what we need.”
