Junior Mariachi Band Hits High Notes at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Brooklyn

"Twelve-year-old Johana Garcia has dreamed of playing the violin for the longest time - "Ever since I was little," she said - and now her dream has come true, thanks to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Johana is part of the violin section of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mariachi, a 25-piece band of young people from the church that specializes in playing traditional Mexican music. The musical ensemble was formed last year by Deacon Edgar Saucedo, and lots of eager kids, including Johana, immediately signed up."

""I always wanted to play the violin, and when they opened this new junior mariachi, I decided to join because I wanted to try something new," Johana said as she took a brief break from rehearsal on Sept. 23. The band members meet every Tuesday night with their violins, trumpets, tambourines, and guitarron Mexicanos (a type of guitar) to rehearse for their big performance at the church's celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12 - a major Catholic holiday in Mexico."

"But filling the church with lively mariachi music is not the only reason he formed the band. The real goal, Deacon Saucedo said, is to draw young people into church and get them involved in parish life. And he believes that music is a good entry point. "I think I based it on the importance for the young people to be part of the community, and I wanted to start working on it," said Deacon Saucedo, who has served at Our Lady of Guadalupe since 2023."

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church formed a 25-piece junior mariachi ensemble that specializes in traditional Mexican music and includes members from kindergarten to college. The band was created last year by Deacon Edgar Saucedo and attracted many eager children, including 12-year-old Johana Garcia. Members rehearse Tuesday nights with violins, trumpets, tambourines, and guitarron Mexicanos to prepare for the Dec. 12 feast celebration and potential Spanish-language Mass performances. Most participants are children of immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, and Ecuador. The primary goal is to draw young people into church and involve them in parish community life through music.

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