UNM will celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe Feast Day in its own special way Dec. 12, with music, refreshments and guest speakers lecturing on the apparition that is a mainstay in New Mexican culture.
"This is an occasion where all the cultures that reside in New Mexico can come together," said Andrew Burgess, director of the UNM Religious Studies Program. "It is important for the Albuquerque community and UNM to join hands in discussing and celebrating a topic as important as this."
Festivities will begin in the UNM Alumni Chapel Thursday at 5:30 p.m., with a series of musical performances, including a sing along, followed by a procession to the Aquinas Newman Center at 6:45 p.m.
At 7:15, a series of addresses will begin, with guest speakers Francisco Miranda, a professor from Mexico City and UNM History professor Linda Hall.
Miranda, from the Colegio de Michoac†n, will open the presentations with "Two Foundational Devotions: Historical Aspects of the Virgin of Guadalupe," in which he will address the implications, both historically and religiously, that the Nuestra de Guadalupe has had on New Mexican society.
"Miranda is a leading Mexican scholar and a specialist in the field of the apparition of the Virgin of Guadalupe," Burgess said.
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Hall, a professor of Latin American History at UNM, will present "The Virgin of Guadalupe as a National and International Symbol."
Having served as the director of Latin American Studies from 1995 to 2000, Hall's scholarly interests extend beyond Mexico, and include U.S.-Latin American relations and religious similarities between the two countries, according to UNM's Latin American History Web site.
Michael Keleher, director of the Guadalupe Institute, a nonprofit organization named after the Virgin of Guadalupe, said there is a great devotion to the religious apparition, and that events like this are a chance for scholars to discuss the traditions that surround the figure.
"The Virgin of Guadalupe means flowers, song and tradition," Keleher said. "This religious figure is a gift to all of us and should be celebrated by all."
The Guadalupe Institute's Web site states that its mission is to be a reliable resource of information concerning the Guadalupe Traditions, to be a repository of library materials and artistic images of the apparition and to promote devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Keleher said the Guadalupe traditions in New Mexico are significant, with a Guadalupe county, the Guadalupe Mountains National Park and numerous cities with streets named after the religious figure.
"We invite everyone to attend and discover just how big of an impact the Virgin of Guadalupe has had on the shaping of our culture and of our lives," Keleher said.
The event is free and open to the public, and an open discussion and refreshments will follow the presentation.
