Parishioners gather the roses at the front of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church before the start of their procession Wednesday to the Catholic Center on 27th Street. We need to walk. Its showing that we are sacrificing and willing to do anything for the Virgin, said Erick Nazario, 13.

While much of Bend was asleep Wednesday morning, Adela Ayala sat in the front pew of the downtown St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, praying to a woman she credits with getting her through some of her toughest times.

Ayala, 24, originally from Mexico City, was one of roughly 400 people who filled every seat and spilled out of the church’s back doors, beginning at 5 a.m., to celebrate the appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

The celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe officially started at midnight Tuesday and continued through Wednesday evening. The time was spent singing, praying, eating tamales and showing gratitude to a woman believed to be Jesus’ mother. Some people stayed for the entire day; others shuffled in when they could, dropping kids off at school and bringing them back after.

Most of the participants had ties to Mexico, and the majority of the celebration was in Spanish.

“Even if people don’t come to Mass on Saturdays or Sundays, this is the day they appear,” said Yaneth Espinoza, who works in Hispanic ministry with the Catholic Church. “They can’t skip this day, it’s very meaningful.”

Our Lady of Guadalupe is said to have appeared to Juan Diego in 1531 on a hill in Tepeyac, north of what is now downtown Mexico City.

About 10 million people annually visit the Basilica that was built in honor of her appearance, making it one of the most visited Catholic churches in the world.

“The church has said yes, this was an authentic apparition of Mary, the blessed mother,” said the Rev. Joe Reinig of the St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church. “Before the church can declare it as authentic, many miracles have to be performed.”

Ayala says she talks to Our Lady of Guadalupe every day. She feels a certain kinship with the mother because Ayala is also from Mexico City.

When Ayala’s mother was told she needed an expensive and dangerous operation, only to find out later that the doctors were mistaken, Ayala didn’t credit luck or the doctors, but Guadalupe.

5:46 A.M. ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI, DOWNTOWN BEND, THE MORNING MARIACHI

Leonardo Medina was in a rush to get to work.

He made his way slowly to the back of the packed church, sporting a dark shirt with silver stars on it and a picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

It was the typical depiction of the woman — she’s wearing a light blue robe, her head tilted and her hands pressed together.

Speaking in Spanish, Medina explained that although he woke up earlier than usual Wednesday, it was important for him to participate in the celebration.

It’s a custom he’s participated in since he was a small child in Mexico, an event his parents, without fail, took part in and one that their parents believed in as well.

“We all believe in the Virgin,” he said.

For most of the participants, the celebration is an annual event that can’t be missed. But in Mexico, Medina said, it’s even bigger and everyone has the day off of work to celebrate.

Wednesday morning, it was quiet in the neighborhood in downtown Bend. Once inside the church, however, a group of young men in black suits with gold embroidery filled the space with music from trumpets, a violin and a Mexican guitar.

The crowd sang along with the mariachi band.

People came forward and put bouquets of orange, red and pink roses into vases sitting under a statue of Guadalupe. One barefoot woman had a traditional woven basket on her back, full of red roses.

Reinig sprinkled holy water on the flowers, blessing them. Others brought posters of Guadalupe from their home to be blessed as well.

Stephanie Aguilar, 11, left the church around 6 a.m. dressed in a white, green and red dress, the color of the Mexican flag.

Aguilar had to hurry home to change before school, but first, “I ask the Virgin to take care of us and watch over us, my grandma, my aunt, and my mom and dad,” she said.

10:20 A.M. UNTIL 12:28 P.M. THE PROCESSION

Gerardo Pulido, 12, and Erick Nazario, 13, took turns holding the Virgin de Guadalupe as they walked from downtown Bend to the edge of northeast Bend.

“We need to walk,” Nazario said. “It’s showing that we are sacrificing and willing to do anything for the Virgin.”

Pulido chimed in that it was a chance to display his Mexican heritage.

“I feel proud that I’m Mexican and that Guadalupe appeared to us,” he said.

In Mexico, they added, it’s not like the walk across town they took Wednesday. There they walk from all over the country until they reach Mexico City. For the last mile, they walk on their knees, Nazario added.

Behind the young boys was the mariachi band, followed by hundreds of walkers, many holding roses that would be offered to the Virgin once they reached the Catholic Center on Northeast 27th Street.

When Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico City, at first no one believed him. It wasn’t until, in the dead of winter, Juan Diego returned with a bundle of roses and an image of the Virgin on his cloak, that he was believed.

From 78-year-old Irene Richardson to 2-year-old Zianas Morales, the walkers sang along to the music, prayed using their beaded rosaries and talked among themselves. Children were dressed in traditional clothing, festive skirts and shirts, their hair braided and finished with bows of green, red and white.

Zianas’ mother, Fermina, of Sisters, said her 2-year-old refused to be held. The little boy was dressed in traditional garb, a white tunic outfit with colorful ribbons.

It was important to his mother that walked, she said, because she often relies on the Virgin for strength and asks her to watch over her children.

“I often promise the Virgin different things if she fixes an illness,” Morales said in Spanish. Walking with her two children is her way to thank Guadalupe for keeping her family healthy.

For the mariachi band up front, it was a long day, a 12-hour gig that kept them on their feet almost the whole time.

“I’m kind of sleepy,” admitted Jose Mora, 18. But he added, “It’s a good thing.”