Hundreds of Catholics took part in a procession down 26th Street in Little Village on Tuesday, marking the beginning of Our Lady of Guadalupe festivities.The mini-pilgrimage — which mirrors larger-scale celebrations happening in Des Plaines and Mexico City — ended with a Mass at Good Shepherd C hurch at 2735 S. Kolin Ave.The event offered a moment of celebration in one of the communities deeply impacted by the federal Operation Midway Blitz, which wound down in November after resulting in roughly 1,800 immigration-related arrests."It's been very difficult the last few months on a lot of our families," said Scott Ernst, 44, principal at Epiphany Catholic School, where the procession began. "Our families continually come together [and] support each other. You can see the joy in the parents' faces."Tuesday marked the Feast Day of St. Juan Diego, which is when believers hold that the Virgin Mary first appeared to the saint in 1531 on Tepeyac Hill in modern-day Mexico City. The celebration, one of the most popular religious devotions in Mexican and American life, culminates Friday with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.Brenda Osorio has been a part of the Epiphany community since she was young, first as a student, then as a basketball coach and now as a parent.After recent increased immigration operations in Little Village, she began driving students to and from school to help families living in fear of raids.She said the celebration was a chance to calm some of those fears."It is kind of scary for some of the kids," said Osorio, 34. The celebration "makes them feel a little happier — a little closer to God. It gives them a right to celebrate instead of just being scared and inside."Irene Martinez De Rubio came to the United States from Michoacán, Mexico, in 1971."Despite all that's happening, we're present and we're here with the protection of our mother," said Martinez De Rubio, 74.She says she understands why families remain wary of coming to celebrate and urges them to prioritize their safety."It is dangerous, and it is sad that families get separated," Martinez De Rubio said. "Keep praying and have faith. Never lose faith." Irene Martinez De Rubio came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1971. She says she understands how families are wary to leave their homes and urges them to prioritize safety. She offers them this advice: “Keep praying and have faith. Never lose faith.”Pat Nabong/Sun-Times Tuesday's Mass placed an emphasis on unity through faith, and churchgoers prayed for the "welcoming of migrants and their constitutional rights.""I just think this is a really powerful show of faith and show of community, to have our students and our school community walking across Little Village and showing that we are all one," Ernst said. "We're one, just like Our Lady [of Guadalupe] taught us." Students of Epiphany Catholic School and Good Shepherd Catholic School join a procession Tuesday to the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Little Village on the Feast Day of St. Juan Diego. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 1 of 13 Students of Epiphany Catholic School and Good Shepherd Catholic School join a procession to the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Little Village on Tuesday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 2 of 13 Students of Epiphany Catholic School and Good Shepherd Catholic School join a procession Tuesday to the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Little Village on the Feast Day of St. Juan Diego. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 3 of 13 Brenda Osorio, a graduate of Epiphany Catholic School, a coach and now a parent of a student there, hands flowers to students outside the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Little Village on Tuesday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 4 of 13 Students share a laugh while waiting to enter the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Little Village on Tuesday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 5 of 13 Students of Epiphany Catholic School and Good Shepherd Catholic School join a procession Tuesday to the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Little Village on the Feast Day of St. Juan Diego. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 6 of 13 Students of Epiphany Catholic School and Good Shepherd Catholic School join a procession to the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Little Village on Tuesday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 7 of 13 Students of Epiphany Catholic School and Good Shepherd Catholic School wait for mass to start after a procession to the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Little Village on the Feast Day of St. Juan Diego on Tuesday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 8 of 13 A child fixes her bow, which has an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, while waiting for mass to start at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Little Village on Tuesday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 9 of 13 Aztec dancers perform “danza de los concheros” at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Little Village on Tuesday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 10 of 13 Students wait for their turn to offer flowers at the foot of a statue of the Virgin Mary at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Little Village on Tuesday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 11 of 13 Students offer flowers at the foot of a statue of the Virgin Mary at the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Little Village on Tuesday. | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 12 of 13 Students offer roses Tuesday at the foot of a statue of the Virgin Mary outside the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Little Village after a procession on the Feast Day of St. Juan Diego | Pat Nabong/Sun-Times 13 of 13 ...read more read less