In the Early Morning Darkness, Hundreds Converge at Our Lady of the Pillar Church for Celebratory Mass

Hundreds of Latino and Portuguese Catholics rose from their beds in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday to celebrate one very special lady.

They came bearing flowers -- mostly roses -- to  in downtown Half Moon Bay for a celebratory mass dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Though the service was scheduled to start at 4 a.m., it was standing room only at the back of the church before the clock struck four. Men and women craned their necks to get a glimpse into the church, with babies and toddlers fast asleep in their arms.

Dozens of pink, red, and yellow roses sat on a table in the back, ready for purchase for anyone who wanted to make an offering to the Virgin.

The Virgin of Guadalupe is Mexico's version of the Virgin Mary. December 12 is the day she is honored at early morning masses and celebrations across the country before people go to work or school. It's one of the biggest days of the year.

"The day signifies our faith in the Virgin," said Half Moon Bay resident Leticia Jarácuaro, speaking in Spanish, as she patiently waited for the mass to begin.

Why December 12? And why 4 a.m.? As the story goes, it's the day when the Virgin appeared to indigenous peasant Juan Diego early in the morning, and requested that he ask a Spanish priest to build a church for her in Mexico. It's also widely recognized as her birthday.

Though the veracity of the story has been contested, it has not stopped the faithful from believing in the Virgin of Guadalupe's apparition to Juan Diego, nor has it shaken the Virgin's symbolic importance to Mexicans in regards to their Catholic religion.

"We have the Virgin of Guadalupe, France has Lourdes, and Portugal has Fatima," said Zenaida Ruiz, a leader in the church. "They are all the same thing," she said.

Half Moon Bay's celebration included a live play of the traditional story telling how the Virgin appeared to Juan Diego several times. A Spanish priest did not believe that Juan Diego was being truthful, the story goes, until Juan Diego dramatically unfurled his cloak. Dozens of roses (seen as proof, since roses did not grow during that time of winter) spilled out and fell to the ground. An image of the Virgin on the front of his cloak also appeared where it had not before.

Played by Jose Villalobos, Juan Diego's dramatic gesture kicked off a burst of live music from the SN Band playing in the main aisle. Villalobos kept his arms open wide at full extension in a "T," as a local band wearing deep peacock-colored blue matching suits played their horns and pounded away on their drums.

"They're just starting out as a band," church member Zenaida Ruiz said of the nattily-dressed group, "so they wanted to sing the first song to the Guadalupe."

With the band playing alongside him, vocalist Everardo Carrillo sang two songs to the Virgin: "Happy Birthday" and "La Guadalupana," the Virgin's special song.

A few readings by several members of the congregation and a talk by Pastor Gabriel Flores to the those assembled were next. During the mass, spirited calls were given from the pulpit ("¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!") and equally spirited responses were given in response ("¡Qué  Viva!").

In Spanish, Flores told those assembled that "We are not alone in the road of our lives," and asked his audience to "contemplate her [the Virgin] in your heart."

Flores gave communion next. In addition to offering wafers to members of his flock that lined up in front of him, he also sprinkled holy water on human babies and on a baby doll as well. The doll was going to be used as part of the church's nativity scene that will be assembled later this month.

After communion, Flores invited the audience to approach and offer flowers to the Virgin. Over 100 men, women and children of a span of generations lined up down the aisle for the chance to offer their flowers to a portrait of the Virgin. Many kneeled in prayer for several minutes when they finally reached the portrait.

Some had come for a special reason, like Yolanda Orozco, Moss Beach resident, who had dedicated the weekend to the Virgin. The day before, Orozco and some of her family members walked barefoot from San Francisco to South San Francisco for 12 miles to thank the Virgin for what she says was an answer to their prayers -- to heal her niece, born in Brea in Orange County with a rare skin condition.

"She was born like this four months ago," said Esmeralda Velasquez, Orozco's daughter said in interpretation, "and now has improved since they prayed to the Virgin for her to get better."

Orozco held up a red t-shirt printed with a photo of a baby that almost looked unrecognizable. She showed an older photo of the baby today that looked considerably better.

"The parents of the baby, my aunt and uncle, are coming to the mass later today to present the baby and thank the Virgin," said Velasquez, who is a freshman at .

The second mass was scheduled to take place after Aztec dancers entertained the crowd at 12 noon inside the church.

After the morning mass concluded over two hours after the event began, some stayed in the church to further contemplate the portrait of the Virgin from their seats in the pews. Most others, though, went to the church's social hall across the street where hot chocolate and pan dulce were served to the tunes of one of the bands that had played that morning.

Many gathered in front of the band to enjoy the music. Some sat at large, white round tables with their families. Sipping their hot drinks, most adults were subdued. The sleepiness had started to set in.

After the first mass was finished, a few of the church leaders said they were going to go home and rest for a few hours before coming back to prepare with the next round.

Maria Procopio, Half Moon Bay resident from Managua, Nicaragua, said she didn't live that far away, but didn't make any mention about going home.

She was there with her mother and two children, for whom she spent two weeks making special Virgin of Guadalupe-themed designs on traditional native white dresses and other apparel, including a hat, and other accessories like her purse. The designs were intricate and labor-intensive, with embellishments like mini-fabric "roses" and beads sewn around the Virgin's image.

Procopio was planning to come back to the next mass, with her 5-year-old son and daughter, almost 3 years old, in tow.

"I have to come back," she said. "I promised her [the Virgin] I would."