SANTA PAULA : Church Plans Parade for 55th Anniversary

The tiny Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Santa Paula celebrates its 55th anniversary Monday, and most of the 300 parishioners are expected to turn out for the festivities, Father Rene Juarez said.

Those festivities include a 15-block procession led by a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The statue was donated by the bishop of Mexico City’s Basilica.

The parade will not close the four streets--Oak, High, 14th and Saticoy--it will traverse for two hours beginning at 4 p.m. But motorists are advised to find an alternative route at that time.

The church’s anniversary coincides with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Juarez said. The feast celebrates the Virgin Mary’s apparition before Juan Viego in Guadalupe more than 1,200 years ago, Juarez said.