The first one actually occurs on the Saturday before the Feast Day in the City of Riverside. This procession begins at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine, winds through the streets of downtown Riverside and ends at the top of Mt. Rubidoux where Mass is celebrated.
The largest procession takes place in the Coachella Valley. The 34-mile journey begins at Our Lady of Solitude Church in Palm Springs and ends at Our Lady of Soledad Parish in Coachella. During the 13-hour walk as many as 20,000 people are likely to participate.
Oralia Calderón, a parishioner of Our Lady of Soledad who helps to organize the procession, said people from other states and even other nations come to the Coachella Valley to participate in the procession.
“Many people who come are from Mexico and other countries, and they can no longer go back to their country of origin,” says Calderón. “In their journeys as immigrants Our Lady has performed miracles; they have experienced her accompaniment, her care. For example, one young man asked Our Lady to heal his son, and his son was healed. He carries a replica of Our Lady every year along all the miles of the procession.”