Bishop Cantú runs in Guadalupe torch relay

Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú is greeted by well-wishers and portraits of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego in Main Plaza prior to the Mass celebrated by Archbishop José H. Gomez at San Fernando Cathedral. Jordan McMorrough | Today's Catholic

SAN aNTONIO • Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú joined in the Guadalupe torch relay and Archbishop José H. Gomez celebrated a Mass of welcoming and devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe at San Fernando Cathedral Nov. 5 as they greeted the runners of the Carrera Antorcha Guadalupana.

The group was in the midst of the south Texas leg of a run that began in Mexico City and will ultimately be completed at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on Dec. 12.

Runners in the Carrera Antorcha Guadalupana, the Tepeyac Association and more than 300 residents of the Alamo City gathered in appreciation of Our Lady of Guadalupe and her intercession in the effort to “promote friendship and solidarity among Mexican-American community groups all along its path, provide a symbolic link for those families divided by the international border,” and raise awareness on immigration issues.

The participants in this run, reminiscent of the journey the Olympic torch makes, began recently at the Basílica de Guadalupe in Mexico City.

According to the Tepeyac Association, the sponsor of the run, its purpose is to represent “the fervor and faith Hispanics have for Our Lady of Guadalupe, arguably the premier national symbol of Mexico and its culture.”

Bishop Cantú, at age 41 currently the youngest bishop in the United States, led the relay by carrying the torch for the final two miles of the run to San Fernando Cathedral in downtown San Antonio.

Archbishop Gomez received the Carrera Antorcha Guadalupana torch at the cathedral prior to celebrating Mass in honor of their arrival, complete with mariachi choir and matachine dancers from Corpus Christi.

Bishop Cantú told reporters that the U.S. bishops have been advocating for comprehensive immigration reform for some time, and that participants in the Carrera Antorcha Guadalupana would be meeting with groups that support immigration reform during their journey to New York.