La Virgen de Guadalupe
La Virgen de Guadalupe has been a special symbol for many of my family members on both sides of the border. However, I did not grow up in a household that was predominantly Catholic, so I do not have the same sentiments towards La Virgen de Guadalupe.
My Mom grew up Catholic, while my Dad grew up Christian; and due to different religious views, they agreed not to impose their religious views on me and my sister. Their logic lied on the idea that we would make a decision on religion on our own once we felt educated enough on the matter to make our stance. This meant me and my sister grew up attending and learning about both churches; however, I was more exposed to Catholicism because I was much closer to my Catholic practicing family. Because of this I took part in many Catholic prayers, Catholic events, and picked up on various Catholic customs.
However, this also meant that I witnessed the toxic behavior that was guised as acceptable because of the Catholic church. The older I grew and the more I witnessed such behavior, the farther I grew from the Catholic Church and essentially the Virgin Mary. Much of my connection with the Catholic church and Virgin Mary is connected with skewed ideas of what it means to be a woman. And although I do not completely reject the Virgin Mary, I am still looking for ways to reconstruct her image in a way that coincides with my values, in efforts to retain this part of my culture.
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