Marian Week at Good Shepherd
Even the most casual glance around the church—at the shrine to Our Lady of Perpetual Hope; at the side altars devoted to Mary; numerous statues of her—reveals that Good Shepherd is a community with a great love for the Blessed Mother. That love will find full expression during an eight-day period when two beloved Marian devotions will bracket the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
The Virgin of Altagracia
Our Lady of Altagracia had been venerated by the people of the Dominican Republic for hundreds of years when, on August 15, 1922, Pope Pius XI declared her the official patroness of the country and its people. In honor of the 100-year anniversary, a famous image of the Virgin that dates back to the final voyages of Columbus is currently on tour throughout the United States and will be on display at Good Shepherd from Saturday, December 4, to Friday, December 10.
On December 4, the rosary will be prayed before the image at 10:00 a.m. On the days following, there will be a daily rosary at 3:00 p.m., led by various parish groups.
And a special Mass will be celebrated in the Virgin’s honor on Tuesday, December 7, at 7:30 p.m. 
To learn more about the Virgin of Altagracia, visit:  
https://www.colonialzone-dr.com/virgen-de-la-altagracia 

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
This joy-filled feast celebrating Mary’s singular freedom from original sin falls on Wednesday, December 8. This is a Holy Day of Obligation and all Catholics are required to participate in Mass that day in celebration of the Solemnity. There will be the usual schedule of daily Masses—7:30 a.m. and 12:00 noon—with two added evening Masses—6:00 p.m. in English and 7:30 p.m. in Spanish—to help parishioners accommodate this obligation.
There will also be a bilingual rosary in honor of the Immaculate Conception after the noon Mass. Please join us in praying that, like the Blessed Mother, our souls might be purified to receive Christ—and that we too, in our own way, might bear him into the world.

Our Lady of Guadalupe
The festivities at Good Shepherd honoring the Virgin of Guadalupe are a beloved tradition, and this year they resume their full flourish after a somewhat reduced celebration last year due to the pandemic.
The feast day will kick off early on Sunday morning, December 12, at 5:00 a.m., with a praying of the rosary, followed by Las Mañanitas Guadalupanas (Las Mañanitas is a traditional song that families sing to their loved ones at dawn to wake them up on their birthday) with Mariachi Loco de Nueva York, followed by a light breakfast.
A special Mass in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be offered at 6:00 p.m., with Mariachi Loco and the Children’s Choir. After the Mass, around 7:30, a play wlll be performed depicting the Virgin’s appearance to Juan Diego, including the traditional Danza de los Tecuanes Quetzalcoati (Dance of the Tecuanes), in the school auditorium.
To learn more about the Virgin of Guadalupe, visit: 
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/our-lady-of-guadalupe