Catholics in the United States have a habit of bolting out the door as soon as Mass or a service is over -- if we even wait until it’s over. But on Good Friday evening at Our Lady of Tepeyac Parish, 2226 S. Whipple St., more than 200 people stayed an additional two hours after the liturgy of the Lord’s Passion to be with Mary. They stayed to offer condolences to Our Lady of Sorrows at the death of her son, Our Lord. It’s called Pésame, which is sometimes translated as “I’m sorry,” and is a traditional devotion in Hispanic cultures. On that night in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, as the sun set on the city, the pastor Father Rigoberto Gamez and resident Father Claudio Diaz Jr. donned black vestments signifying mourning and led a brief procession on the streets outside the church. They followed a statue of Jesus crucified and a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows dressed in a black lace veil holding a white handkerchief by her face. Women wearing black veils carried the statue of Mary while men dressed up as disciples of Jesus carried the statue of Christ. During the somber procession, the crowd sang Marian songs and prayed Marian prayers. People along Cermak Road stopped to watch the procession and others peeked out to see the goings on from their apartment windows. After returning to the church, the congregation continued to pray, sing and listen to meditations from the priests. The devotion culminated with veneration of the two statues in a dimmed church. As far as Gamez knows, the Pésame service at his parish is the only one of its kind in the archdiocese and most of those in attendance were Our Lady of Tepeyac parishioners. Five years ago, Gamez started the devotion at his former parish, Providence of God, 717 W. 18th St. Honoring Our Lady Our Lady holds a position of great honor in Hispanic cultures so it’s not a surprise this devotion attracts the faithful. “Next to Jesus, Mary is number one,” Gamez said. The procession portion of the devotion allows participants to publicly show their love of Jesus and Mary because it allows them to “go to the world and evangelize and promote our faith,” Gamez said. The Catholic Church has long promoted devotions to Our Lady of Sorrows, said Diaz, who is director of the Office for Hispanic Catholics, and Good Friday is a fitting time to offer the Pésame devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows because it “fits into the pathos of the Triduum.” Mary’s pain and sorrow also resonates with any impoverished Catholics in the Little Village neighborhood “who have a challenging reality,” he said. ‘Beautiful’ tradition José Duarte, a parishioner at Our Lady of Tepeyac, said he enjoyed this year’s Pésame devotion. “This is beautiful. It is traditional,” he said. “It’s not something we’ve had in previous years.” Duarte also said more people attended the Good Friday services this year than in years past and he credits that to Gamez. “Father Rigoberto has a way that touches people personally.” For parishioner Javier Guzman, Good Friday reminds him of all that Jesus did for his children. His suffering, death and resurrection are “true love.” “Nowhere else are you going to find this love,” Guzman said. “It’s unconditional.”