Procession at Noon Today

Devotees of La Virgen de Guadalupe will hold a procession from Library Park to St. Mary's Church at noon today. The procession has been a local custom for about seven years, but will be significant this year because Plainfield is one of only three locations in the United States to have a specially blessed image of the saint, whom the faithful revere as the Queen of the Americas.

The church received City Council permission last week to hold the procession and other events culminating in a late-night sidewalk procession Wednesday and overnight ceremonies witha 5 a.m. Mass on Thursday, the Feast Day of La Virgen de Guadalupe.

Besides being a religious observance, the processions and related events bring a new cultural aspect to Plainfield, where the Latino population is increasing every year.

--Bernice Paglia