On Dec. 14, hundreds of pilgrims will process from the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C. to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception for the Archdiocese of Washington’s annual Walk with Mary. 

The procession will begin from the steps of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart at 16th Street and Park Road, N.W., 11:30 a.m. Throughout the two mile walk, pilgrims will pause at different stops along Irving Street for reflections from local priests on the different events of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego in Mexico in 1531. 

At the basilica, the day will proceed with praying the rosary at 1 p.m., followed by a procession of flags and a performance by Aztec dancers and a reenactment of St. Juan Diego before Mass at 2:30 p.m. presided by Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory. 

Claudia Bartolini, the coordinator of resource development for the archdiocese’s Office of Cultural Diversity and Outreach, said that one of the beautiful things about the event is that it brings together people from all different backgrounds. 

“The beauty of the event is that Our Lady of Guadalupe is known as the Mexican mother...but you see people from all over the world walking with us and praying for us,” Bartolini said.

The procession, she said, serves as another means of evangelization to the local community with the crowds walking through the streets.

Families and individuals are all invited to participate. The Shrine of the Sacred Heart is located a few blocks from the Columbia Heights Station on Metro's Green and Yellow lines, and the National Shrine is near the Brookland/CUA Station on Metro's Red Line. For more information on this year’s Walk with Mary, visit www.adw.org/walkwithmary.