Mexican Feast Day Celebration Set for Dec. 12

Submitted Photos

A mariachi band will perform as part of the Feast of Our Lady
of Guadalupe Dec. 12 at Christ Episcopal Church.

Blogger's Note: The following was  provided by Centro Cultural Latinos Unidos, Inc.

For the first time in Pottstown the Mexican celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be held Dec. 12 at 4 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church, 316 High St. in Pottstown.

Sponsored by Centro Cultural Latinos Unidos, Inc., the Pottstown-based Hispanic activist and cultural education group,  the feast day celebrates the “ Virgin of Guadalupe,” also known as the patroness of the Americas.

It is a Catholic title associated with a Marian apparition and a venerated image enshrined within the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

According to Wikipedia, the basilica is the world's third most-visited sacred site, and the Pope Leo XIII granted the venerated image a Canonical Coronation on Oct. 12,  1895.

The story of Our Lady of the Guadalupe, is unlike any other apparition of Virgin Mary, in that it is the first and only apparition which left what is said to be a miraculous image of herself unmade by human hands.

One of the most lively and spiritual religious celebration anywhere, the feast day of our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated in Mexico City on Dec. 12 of each year.

The celebration in Pottstown will feature Spanish food, a mariachi band and dancing. It is free and all are welcome.

Mural Celebrating Hispanic Culture Unveiled

Photo by Laura Catalano

A mural promoting the vitality of Hispanic and Native American heritage was dedicated amid snow flurries on Saturday. It was painted by Carrie Kingsbury from Promiseland Murals.

The project was created by Carried Kingsbury of Promiseland Murals for Centro Cultural Latinos Unidos, or CCLU.

Photo by Laura Catalano

Pottstown Borough Councilwo0man Rita Paez

Borough Councilwoman Rita Paez is also the president of CCLU and she served as the master of ceremonies for the unveiling.

Although it has been up for some time, the mural was covered with a tarp and unveiled in dramatic fashion for the ceremony to the ohs and ahs of the crowd.

Hot coffee and hot chocolate were served, and welcomed by the obviously chilly gathered there.

A dedication was offered by the Rev. William Rex, interim rector at Christ Episcopal Church in Pottstown.

“We are each individual gifted through our past heritage, present realities and future potential. We should never consider any cultural background as a challenge to future expectations and potential,” said Rex.

“Their future lies ahead of them, grounded upon heritage,” Rex said of the children present.

Photo by Audra Hammer Ross

“Let us celebrate their cultural, rich in color and beauty and creativity, all of things are represented by this mural,” he said. “Let’s lift up these Latino youth of today and give them the support they need to be the leaders of tomorrow.”

The project was approved by council at a time when there was controversy over a new ordinance governing murals.

However, this project met the new guidelines and was approved.

It is affixed to the wall of the former public works garage on Beech Street, across from the Olivet Boys & Girls Club.

However, it can be removed and erected somewhere else of the need arises.

Free Music Program for Kids at Christ Episcopal

Christ Episcopal Church will host the second year of an ecumenical free music program for children every Tuesday between 4 p.m and 5 p.m. beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 5. 

Designed for children Pre K through 5th Grade, the program is taught by Phyllis Mitchell who has provided the children of the Tri County area with music lessons for more than 30 years. 

To register a child, contact Edie Shean-Hammond at (484) 624-3659 or email: esheanhammond@gmail.com. 

Or, just show up on Sept. 5. 

Christ Church is located at 316 High Street in Pottstown. Entrance for the program and parking is at the back of the church off Queen Street.

Tom and Cindy Cotter, 50 Years of 'Mixed Marriage'

Cindy and Tom Cotter celebrate their 50th anniversary at Chatty Monk's Pub in West Reading last month.

Say the words 'mixed marriage' today and it is likely to mean a number of things, a multi-racial marriage, marriage between a Muslim, Jew, Christian or other religion.

But 50 years ago in Pottstown, it meant marriage between two
Christians, albeit from different denominations.

When Cindy and Tom cotter got married on July 23, 1966, it made history, at least locally.

They were the first couple in the Pottstown area, one a Catholic and one an Episcopalian, to have a marriage in a Catholic church as sanctioned by the archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Mrs. Cotter, known at the time of her marriage as Cindy Griffiths, was a member of Christ Episcopal Church and her soon-to-be-husband Tom, a member of the former St. Peter's Catholic Church on South Street.

It was the first marriage in Pottstown allowed under rules, new at the time, that allowed other than all-Catholic weddings in Catholic churches.

The Catholic priest officiating was the Rev. Michael Augustyn and he was joined by the Rev. Wilfred F. Penny of Christ Episcopal.

The announcement and the wedding itself both made headlines in 1966 editions of The Mercury.

The couple recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at Chatty Monk's Pub in West Reading, Pa. where a family party was held.

"I was 20 and Tom was 22 year. 50 years laters of course we are now 70 and 72," Mrs. Cotter wrote in an email to The Mercury.

"Tom works for Bob Fisher Chevrolet in Reading and I work parttime for Seniors Helphing Seniors. We have 3 daughters, Shannon Costa, Danielle Metzger and Taryn DeWald. Eight grandchildren and 1 great grandchild with another expected in January," she wrote.

Congratulations to you both.

Ain't it something how times change?