Celebrating the diversity of our Catholic Church, Blessed Sacrament Catholic School invites students, staff members and parents to consider becoming a Mathachine for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass on Wednesday, December 11, 2019 and our School Prayer Service on Thursday, December 12, 2019!
What are Matachines?
The Matachines are the soldiers of the Virgin Mary and of the Lord; their way of praying is by dancing to Christ and the Blessed Mother. They use to dance to the sun, moon, stars because these were their gods. When Christopher Columbus introduced Catholicism to the Indigenous, they continued dancing because it was the only way they knew how to pray.
It has become customary for Matachines to dance on the feast of Our Lady Guadalupe which is celebrated on December 12th. Although there are many types of dances and dancers, the dance that we will be performing was used to prepare and cleanse the altar for Liturgy of the Word and The Liturgy of the Eucharist.
What do the outfits represent?
The headpiece resembles the bishop’s cap in honor of the bishop that first saw the image of Our Blessed Mother on St. Juan Diego’s tilma. The cape represents the tilma of St. Juan Diego where Our Lady of Guadalupe placed her image and roses. The bells, maracas, drums represent the music of the Indigenous and their way of praising and showing joy for the Lord.
The Blessed Matachines
With Father Chris’ blessing, the Blessed Matachines made their debut at last year’s Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass (Parish) and Prayer Service (School). This year, the students will perform at the 7:00 p.m. Mass on Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at at our prayer service on Thursday, December 12, 2019 at 8:30 a.m.
We invite students in Second Grade through Eighth Grade to learn this simple, easy, and meaningful dance. If you are interested in participating or have ever participated and would like to join us, please return the lower portion of this letter with your parent’s signature.
Practices will begin the week of November 4, 2019. All practices will be held during school hours.
Each dancer is responsible for the following:
- A Pair of Maracas
- A Headpiece
- Sandals or Moccasin Type Shoes, No Flip Flops
- Costume
Ms. Martinez, our school’s Office Manager, has provided samples of headpiece ideas and costumes used by various Matachine groups.
Blessed Sacrament Catholic School does not have costumes to lend students at this time.
If your student is interested in participating in this year’s Blessed Matachine program, in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we invite you to complete the following 2019 Blessed Matachines Permission Slip and return it to the School Office no later than Monday, November 4, 2019.