For nearly as long as he can remember, Sebastian Gonzalez, 12, has watched his grandmother help lead the rosary during the annual Las Mañanitas vigil at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Each year, Gonzalez and his family settle into the pews for a long night of prayer and song, a tradition that’s endured from one generation to the next.
“I’ve always seen her go up and read the rosary, and I’ve always thought to myself how amazing it would be to be able to do that,” said Gonzalez, a student at St. Bernardine of Siena School in Woodland Hills.
Gonzalez finally got the chance to follow in his paternal grandmother’s footsteps when he led a decade of the rosary in Spanish during this year’s Las Mañanitas event, becoming the youngest person ever to do so.
“I admire her and when I see her practice, I’m just inspired by how faithful she is,” he said of his grandmother, Rosa Gonzalez. “And I want to also lead a life of faith.”
The Gonzalezes were among thousands of faithful who turned out for the cathedral’s festivities this year. As in so many churches that celebrate the Mañanitas, the vigil runs from the evening of Dec. 11 into the early hours of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12, which commemorates the Virgin Mary’s apparitions to St. Juan Diego in Mexico City in December 1531.
In addition to the rosary, the event also included indigenous dances, a musical serenade to Our Lady, a rendition of “Las Mañanitas” — a traditional Mexican birthday song to honor the Virgin Mary on her feast day — and more.
This year’s serenade featured multiple performers, including Mexican ranchera singer-songwriter Ángeles Ochoa, mariachi singer Julián Torres, Latin-Grammy nominated singer Carmen Jara, and others, backed by Mariachi Ángeles de Pepe Martínez Jr.
The vigil culminated with midnight Mass celebrated by Archbishop José H. Gomez, who in his homily reminded attendees that Our Lady is there to love and console them, and to support them in continuing her mission to bring salvation to all.
“She still wants to make a place in this world and in our lives for her child Jesus,” he said. “So she tells us tonight: Go with haste to bring Jesus into your home, into the lives of the people in your families.”
“You are the precious sons and daughters of the Queen of Heaven, and she is calling each of you tonight to help her to build the kingdom of her son on earth.”
For Rosa, participating in the Mañanitas rosary for the past decade has been a way for her to evangelize to those around her.
By assisting with the rosary, she aims to teach people how to pray and to share the power of that prayer with her family in the pews, and with her spiritual brothers and sisters who are following along.
Rosa — who said she experienced a Eucharistic miracle 21 years ago — has had a strong love for the Church and Our Lady of Guadalupe since she was a child in Mexico.
She said she is proud that Sebastian wanted to participate in this year’s rosary because it shows that the Catholic faith that was passed down to her is also taking root in her grandson’s heart, even at his young age.
Over the last three years, Rosa said she’s seen many signs of spiritual growth in Sebastian and that they’ve had many conversations about the importance of reading the Bible, learning about Church teachings, and cultivating a personal relationship with God.
“I was very happy and excited to see him up there,” said Rosa, who attends St. Ferdinand Church in San Fernando. “To see that the same seeds of faith that my father and mother sowed in us as a family I can now sow in my children and grandchildren.”
For Sebastian, participating in this year’s rosary was an opportunity to further grow his relationship with — and his devotion to — Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Gonzalez said he was “in awe” and moved to tears when he saw the tilma in person during a visit to the Guadalupe shrine in Mexico City this summer with several relatives, including his grandmother.
While at the basilica, he also prayed for his maternal grandmother to be healed from lung cancer, and bought a rosary that he used during this week’s Mañanitas vigil.
Sebastian’s mother, Elizabeth Gonzalez, said she was glad to see her son carry on the family tradition, as it can help strengthen his faith and inspire others.
“I’m just proud of him,” she said. “And I’m really glad that his faith has driven him to want to do something that he gets to share with the religious community, and further increases his belief in God and the Virgin Mary.”
