Mariachis played music as thousands gathered early in the morning on Dec. 9 in front of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C., to join Walk with Mary, a pilgrimage from Sacred Heart to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

The annual procession and Mass, sponsored by the Office of Cultural Diversity and Outreach of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, is held around the time of the feast day of Mary as Our Lady of Guadalupe, and honors her as the patroness of the Americas.

 Washington Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar spoke from the steps before people in the crowd started their journey to the basilica through the streets of Washington.  

"Two thousand years ago, about this time of the year, Mary and Joseph were preparing to journey to Bethlehem," but they didn't realize they would end up in Egypt, Bishop Menjivar said. 

Young church members led the walk carrying a Walk with Mary banner. Clouds of incense could be seen as vibrant flowers, music, flags, and various images of the Virgin Mary filled the procession. The walk included stops for prayer and reflection. The day's first prayer was about the destruction of peace during wars.

"Peace comes when we decide to rebuild it," Deacon Walter Sanchez said.

At around 12:45 pm, people in the front of the walk made it to the steps of the National Shrine. Mariachis played as they walked up the steps. 

Mateo Bara-Serrano, an 11th grader who just received his sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, explained why praying to Mary is paramount to him.

"What [Mary] means to me is that she is my mother, but more importantly, she's an advocate for all of us. Because as you know, she was completely human, not like her son, Jesus Christ, who is also part of the Holy Trinity. The Virgin Mary is a perfect example of all of us, of a human, of the perfect human life, what it means to live that perfect human life," Bara-Serrano said.

He shared what he hopes to gain from the day of prayer.

"Conversion, peace, change. For example, the changes that I've been going through in my life, I expect, I really do, it's in my hopes that same change would come to other people," Bara-Serrano said.

People in the crowd prayed a decade of the rosary as they drew nearer to the basilica.

From the steps, Ian Mitchell, the director of the archdiocesan Office of Social Concerns, addressed the importance of Laudato Si' and Laudate Deum, two major documents from Pope Francis on caring for the Earth.

A complete rosary was prayed in the basilica, alternating between English, Spanish, Creole, Igbo, Tagalog and Korean.  

Msgr. Walter Rossi, the National Shrine’s rector, addressed attendees in Spanish.

“Every year, you all come here seeking the intercession of our Mother Mary, the Virgin of Guadalupe, to touch the ‘door of Mary’ like our father, Pope Francis, likes to say. We are grateful for the presence of all of you,” Msgr. Rossi said.

Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, was the main celebrant of the Mass that followed the pilgrimage. Concelebrants included Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the United States; Bishop Menjivar, the homilist at the Mass; Washington Auxiliary Bishop Juan Esposito; Washington Auxiliary Bishop Roy Campbell Jr.; and priests of the Archdiocese of Washington.

“We gather in great number this afternoon to honor the mother of God, our own Mother, let us ask her to speak to the Father and beg Him to forgive our sins,” the cardinal said as the Mass began. 

The choir then sang a prelude to the rosary before a procession of flags from around the world. A group of performers dressed as Aztec dancers marched down the aisle in full traditional garb, wearing colorful feathers, shaking instruments, and dancing along the drum line. 

A man dressed as St. Juan Diego followed the dancers. He revealed his cloak, which had an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and roses fell, reflecting the Miracle of the Roses story. 

During his homily, Bishop Menjivar told the story of St. Juan Diego, an indigenous peasant who lived in present-day Mexico. St. Juan Diego saw Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, four times in apparitions. 

"Mary has always accompanied us with her caring and loving presence. She has taken us by her hand to lead us to Jesus. This is the meeting and the goal of our archdiocesan pilgrimage to walk with Mary to Jesus. She invites us today to dare to let ourselves be touched and transformed by God's mercy and love," Bishop Menjivar said. 

He spoke about the spread of the "seed of faith" in Latin America and how Mary always appears with tender words and gestures only a mother could give. 

"This way, the Catholic faith in Latin America acquired a maternal aspect of affection, softness, and sweetness of closeness. We, Latin Americans, are very sensitive to a mother's love," Bishop Menjivar said.

The bishop explained that Mary as Our Lady of Guadalupe was the prototype of the Church, as she spoke the native language of the people and was a mother and protector of those suffering. 

Lucy Lu, a member of the Crusaders of Mary, a secular institute in Washington’s Brookland neighborhood, previously attended the walk as a volunteer. Lu explained why she needed to take part in the walk.

"With [Mary], we can be triumphant in so many difficulties in life," Lu said. "I really enjoyed this moment that people are walking together, and it is strenuous to be truly a pilgrim on Earth, that we are not weighed down by materialism or individualism."

Her community members celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary the day before, and Lu said they discussed how prevalent they find individualism to be in the mainstream culture. 

"Individualism is everywhere, it is really hard to find community. Today is really encouraging to see people come together from different walks of life," Lu said.

Lu added that when she wants to be alone, she feels inspired by Mary to go out and be with people and to remember that she is not alone. 

"Whenever I'm tempted by this individualism (and) consumerism, that's everywhere in the culture. I look to Our Lady, and she's always there with me, calling me to be a child and to be part of a family, which is the Church," Lu said.