Originally published at Southern Cross
CHULA VISTA — Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Chula Vista is concluding a yearlong celebration of its 80th anniversary.
Cardinal Robert W. McElroy and two of the diocese’s auxiliary bishops will join the community on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dec. 12, at the 6 p.m. Mass.
The concelebrants will include Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Pulido; Father Giovanni Bizzotto, the Scalabrinian provincial superior; Father Bruce Orsborn, a former pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe; and other Scalabrinian priests.
Auxiliary Bishop Ramón Bejarano will preside at the 9 a.m. Mass that same day.
The parish’s anniversary celebration began last year, also on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, with an opening Mass celebrated by Bishop Bejarano, who blessed a church bell to mark the occasion.
Scalabrinian Father Hily Gonzales, who has pastored the parish for over three years, delved into the past as he began preparing for the anniversary celebration in late 2023.
“I got in contact with elderly parishioners that provided us with some photos and precious information,” he said. “I went to the diocesan archive and discovered interesting information about the parish.”
Father Gonzales said that he shared his discoveries with parishioners, believing that it was important for present-day parishioners to know ––
