The sidewalks of College Street were lined with spectators waiting to get a look at the “Blessed Fire” of the Antorcha Guadalupana Nov. 9.
Dancers and supporters joined together a few blocks from Cristo Rey, Beaumont, as Augustinian Father Luis Urriza was handed the torch during its final leg in Beaumont.
After arriving at Cristo Rey, Father Urriza celebrated a Mass and offered prayers for the torch runners and for immigration reform.
The annual event has brought a message of hope to the Hispanic community in the United States for nine years. Runners hand off the torch in an effort to raise awareness for immigration reform.
“I had never been a part of the torch run until this year. There’s no other experience like carrying the torch. It’s unlike anything else,” Cristo Rey parishioner Marco Arellano said.
The torch run begins at the Basilica de Tepeyac, Mexico City, in October and ends at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City, Dec 12, the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The torch left Beaumont Nov. 10 headed to Lake Charles, La., on its way to New York.
