PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Bishop Robert Brennan was visibly emotional as he greeted the just-assembled congregation for the first Mass for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph.
Later, before the second Mass, Bishop Brennan explained the record-breaking crowd of Guadalupanos — some 4,400 young people combined at both Masses — was the future of the Church.
“It’s very emotional,” he confirmed. “Oh, my heart just beats so quickly when I see the crowd walking in. I’m extremely proud, not just because of the numbers, but the numbers of young people.
“The challenge of the Church has been to connect with the next generation. And to see that happening at something like this is a real sign of hope.”
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The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe commemorates the day in 1531 when the Blessed Mother appeared in an apparition to an indigenous peasant named Juan Diego atop the hill of Tepeyac on the north side of present-day Mexico City.
She appeared as an indigenous woman, according to tradition.
It is a major celebration in the Diocese of Brooklyn — home to an estimated 175,000 Mexican Americans.
Dec. 12 is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and today hundreds are packing @StJoseph_BK in the @BrooklynDiocese.
The massive celebration, broken up into two Masses to accommodate the crowds, opened with a high-energy dance routine led by a group of dancers in traditional… pic.twitter.com/LP5mUe9HiM
— The Tablet (@TabletNewspaper) December 12, 2025
“This really is our biggest event of the year,” Bishop Brennan said. “The whole co-cathedral is full. This morning, they counted about 700 people downstairs, plus the choir loft. And again, young people.”
The crowd at the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph was spread over two Masses — one in the morning for Brooklyn parishes and one in the afternoon for Queens parishes.
Fifty-four parishes participated, growing past the 52 at last year’s feast, when about 4,000 people attended.
Father Baltazar Sánchez-Alonzo, pastor of St. Mary Gate of Heaven Parish in South Ozone Park and director of the Mexican Apostolate for the Diocese of Brooklyn, said this is the third year that the feast was spread over two Masses.
And as in years past, Guadalupanos processed from the co-cathedral back to their home parishes behind torches lit by Bishop Brennan and Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Octavio Cisneros.
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Father Sánchez-Alonzo said the feast is built on four pillars that are passed on to the Guadalupanos from their families, which explains why the event gets bigger each year.
“In this celebration,” he said, “we put together tradition, history, faith, culture. I think that first, Mexicans are people of faith. And certainly, the parents, I think, are educating the children in sharing their own cultures, lives, and faith.”
Father Sánchez-Alonzo noted that their faith is undeterred by the current political climate, where many undocumented immigrants fear being detained and deported.
Father Sánchez-Alonzo said that while planning this year’s feast, he asked committee members from the 54 parishes if they thought the event should be canceled because of the immigration situation.
“But they said, ‘No, father, we will go,’ ” he said. “Our Lady of Guadalupe will protect us.”
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Still, Father Sánchez-Alonzo thought this year’s turnout would be smaller, but advanced sales of silkscreened sweatsuits – the Guadalupanos’ uniforms – outpaced previous years. He added that some of these young Catholics said they were motivated to participate this year so they could intensify prayer for their parents.
Bishop Cisneros delivered the homily at the first Mass. He praised the Guadalupanos’ families for promulgating the faith and providing hope for future generations.
“Thanks to those parents, thanks to those grandparents, the dark-skinned Virgin of Tepeyac lives in your hearts, because she has lovingly transmitted what it means to be a follower of Our Lady of Guadalupe on this Dec.12,” he said.
He continued, “I invite you to this reflection because Pope Francis, now deceased, invited you to celebrate the ordinary Jubilee of the Church, beginning in December 2024 and ending several days later on Jan. 6, 2026.
“And what did Francis, the Holy Father, tell us? He asked us to be pilgrims of hope.”
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Bishop Brennan touched on immigration in his homily for the second Mass. He paraphrased a letter on the topic that he co-wrote with other U.S. bishops.
“As bishops,” he said, “we advocate for meaningful reform of our nation’s immigration laws and procedures. Human dignity and national security are not conflicting values.
“Both can be achieved with goodwill and by working together.”
He urged the congregation to turn eyes to Mary, the Virgin of Guadalupe — “the first pilgrim of hope in Jesus Christ.”
“As we walk our pilgrimage path, we hear her whisper, ‘Do not be afraid, am I not here, I, who am your mother?’ ”