Our Lady Queen of Angels
Virgen de Guadalupe
By Laura Guerrero
The parishioners of Our Lady Queen of Angels stand close together and sing before a small statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe on a cold, winter morning.
One might imagine they are inside the church, but in reality, they are standing outside in front of its closed doors.
Since February 2007, when the New York Archdiocese decided to close East Harlem’s Our Lady Queens of Angels Church because of declining attendance, the dedicated parishioners meet every Sunday for spiritual mass. They also celebrate religious holidays, regardless of weather conditions.
Some of the parishioners thought that having the church reopen was a lost battle; most either moved away or became members of other church communities. Only the truly dedicated have decided to stay and fight to have their beloved church doors open again.
Today, they are celebrating Mexico’s patron saint, Lady Guadalupe. This saint is celebrated every 12th of December, the anniversary of when she first appeared to the Indigenous peasant Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill in Mexico City in 1531.
“This event started in October, when we took the Virgin from house to house every third day, and prayed the rosary to her,” says Norma Flores, 43, who, along with her husband, was in charge of preparing the event this year. On December 2, we take the Virgin to a different house every day, until the eve of the 11th, when we bring the Virgin back to the church.” Mrs. Flores and her family have been members of this church for 15 years.
The parishioners knew that this religious holiday would be celebrated outside, so they bundled up really well with scarves, hats, and gloves to endure the cold winds. People of all ages attended, with elderly parishioners alongside and parents with infant children in strollers. Teenagers were in uniforms and had book bags because they were leaving straight from the celebration to school.
When asked why the ceremony is still is celebrated outside the church, knowing that it is closed, Mrs. Flores says, “This is the church where we feel most comfortable, the one we identify with as being our home. We’re so used to coming here and celebrating this special day in this church. This was the church that opened its doors to us from the beginning.”
Gladys Mestre-Rivera, a member of the church community since the age of 7, was a Eucharistic minister and a member of the youth program when the church was open. “I was the hen mother,” she says with a laugh.
She also seconds Mrs. Flores’ sentiment, “We made a commitment that, once they took us out, we were never going to leave.” Mrs. Rivera, 68, now retired, is one of the oldest among the group of protesters, so she says, “this church has a lot of sentimental meaning to me. It’s the only church that I’ve known.”
She admits that she attends another church, but “only to receive the sacraments. My commitment on Sundays is here.”
As the group sings, their voices drowning the accompanying music, they hope that due to their dedication, the church will reopen soon and they will no longer have to celebrate religious holidays outside in the rain or snow.