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With roses and candles for the altar, thousands of Catholics on

Tuesday completed a nine-day commemoration for Our Lady of Guadalupe --

another name for the Virgin Mary -- at St. Joachim Church in Costa Mesa.

The church celebrated the anniversary of Juan Diego’s vision of Our

Lady of Guadalupe in a Mexico City suburb with nine days of rosary

prayers, special Masses and celebrations, as well as with a parade

Saturday.

The church attributed the high attendance at its commemoration Masses

to its large Latino membership.

“This is a Mexican tradition,” said Margot Santos, Spanish coordinator

of the church’s family life office. “She is the mother of Jesus, and we

celebrate her with a lot of devotion. Many people are very grateful to

her because she intercedes on their behalf.”

Edilith Torres, a member of the church, said she feels she can relate

to Our Lady of Guadalupe because “she’s a mother too.”

“She cares for her son the same way we care for our kids, and she had

to suffer while he was on the cross,” Torres said. “And she has done many

miracles. They say if you want a prayer to be answered, you should pray

to her because she is the closest one to God. You pray to God himself,

but so many people ask him for things that he needs a secretary to help

him out. If you talk to Our Lady of Guadalupe, you’re closer to God

because she can help get the message up to him. I think it’s easier to

talk to her. She’s considered the main lady all over Mexico.”