Chicago, Ill., Dec 12, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Some Hispanic members of “Amor de Dios” United Methodist Church in Chicago celebrated the traditional feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe yesterday. They even prayed their first novena as a community to the Virgin this year. They processed a 2-foot-high statue around the neighborhood, singing, reciting the rosary and bringing it into parishioners’ homes for prayer.
This feast has sparked some concern among other Methodist churches, which consider the veneration of statues idolatry. It has also raised concern among local Catholic parishes, which worry that the church might be presenting itself as something that it is not.
But Rev. Oscar Carrasco, director of connectional ministries for the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church, told the Chicago Tribune that exploring practices such as venerating the Virgin Mary could further the ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Methodists.
The church pastor, Rev. Jose Landaverde, said he sees no harm in embracing a tradition that might bring people closer to God. He agreed to keep the statue of the Virgin even after most of the church’s 15 founding parishioners left when Latino parishioners placed it in the sanctuary last year.