Guatemalan community celebrates Santo Cristo Señor de Esquipulas

Over the weekend of Jan 13-15, the Guatemalan community in the Diocese enjoyed the annual celebration of Our Lord Jesus under the title of “Santo Cristo Señor de Esquipulas.” On Jan. 13 the community celebrated two Masses, one at 5 pm at St. Anthony Parish in Riverside and one at 7 pm at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Indio. On Jan. 14, the Guatemalan community of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Rancho Cucamonga celebrated Mass at 4 pm. The community concluded their celebration on Jan. 15 with a Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Riverside. Esquipulas, a town in southeastern Guatemala, is known for a figure of the “Black Christ,” carved out of dark wood in 1594, that has become a significant devotion of the Guatemalan people.