‘Light of hope’ for Mexican immigrants: Guadalupe Torch comes to Philly on Thursday

For the last 21 years, the Guadalupana Torch has crossed the border annually from Mexico to New York, a journey that takes approximately three months. The torch, which is carried by runners and has a flame that is never extinguished, stops in 13 U.S. states as a symbol of faith and hope for the Mexican immigrant community.

It will make its stop in Philadelphia on Thursday thanks to the efforts of Ana Line Ceron Hernández, a faithful devotee of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a 20-year resident of Philadelphia, and a local advocate for immigrant rights.

“I do it for all the Hispanic community because many pray for Our Lady of Guadalupe,” Ceron Hernández said. “It is a way to feel closer to our country with that light that comes from there.”

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12 is the most popular religious celebration for Mexicans around the world, and the torch makes its three-month journey from the National Basilica in Mexico City, through nine states in Mexico and 13 states in the U.S., before ending its journey in Central Park in New York on the feast day.

Despite the Guadalupe Torch run’s two-decade history in the U.S., this will be only the second time it makes a stop in Philadelphia. The first time was in 2021, also through Ceron Hernández’s efforts. This year, the torch will be welcomed through a walking procession starting at 4 p.m. at Marconi Plaza (2800 Broad St.) and arriving at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church (1404 S. Third St.).

“That light, it’s like a light of hope coming to us.”

Ceron Hernández’s awareness of the Guadalupana Torch is not new. It started at 11 when she moved to the United States. At that time, the torch made stops in Pennsylvania, but she wondered why it did not stop in Philadelphia. When her grandfather explained to her that the torch begins its pilgrimage from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, crossing the border in Texas, it sparked her curiosity to bring it here.

Beyond being a gathering for devotees of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the torch’s visit is also a way to advocate for immigration reform, debated in the Senate in 2006, 2007, and 2013 without success. Despite The Dignity Act, a bipartisan immigration bill proposed by Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida and Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas in May, immigration remains a deeply divisive topic in the nation.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of people born in another country reached a record high of more than 46 million last year. For immigration advocates like Ceron Hernández, the hope is that reforms like those proposed by Salazar and Escobar would provide a path to legalization for millions of unauthorized immigrants who are already in the country.

“The main purpose is to achieve immigration reform for all,” Ceron Hernández said.

And the Guadalupana Torch Run, she said, is like a beacon.

“That light, it’s like a light of hope coming to us,” said Ceron Hernández, who is running in the Guadalupana Torch event.

“I want people to realize that they are not alone. They must fight for their rights and be united as a family and community,” she added. “The torch is coming, and the Virgin is here for us.”

After its stop in the City of Brotherly Love, the Guadalupana Torch will stop in Camden, N.J., before embarking on its final journey to Central Park. The torch run in Camden will arrive 7 p.m. Nov. 30 at St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church, 3107 Alabama Rd. In 2021, a total of approximately 8,000 people ran with the torch during its sojourn.

During the long journey, replicas of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego are also carried in a van that travels alongside the runners. The paintings will be given to the church with the highest count of participants in the Guadalupana Torch Run. Since there were only eight runners registered for Philadelphia, it will not be in the running for receipt of the paintings.

To keep the torch ever burning, a small box inside the van protects the flame after it is lit in Mexico. Along the way, that candle is never extinguished, just like the strength that encourages the immigrant community to fulfill their dreams close to their family, Ceron Hernández said.

“We have to come together and become one to be stronger,” said Ceron Hernández.

The torch makes stops in Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York, after traveling through nine states in Mexico: Estado de Mexico, Morelos, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo, Veracruz, and Tamaulipas.

The Guadalupana Torch Run is produced by the Tepeyac Association of New York. For more information on the torch’s arrival in Philadelphia, call 267-339-9202 or click here.