Catholics celebrate Guadalupe at Stockton celebration

STOCKTON -- Several thousand Roman Catholics turned out Sunday to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe, though the blustery weather forced the event indoors.

The Diocese of Stockton organized the 32nd annual celebration, which commemorates the day in 1531 when the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared for the second time to Indian farmer Juan Diego near Mexico City.

About 5,000 to 6,000 people gathered at the Stockton Arena after the weather canceled the outdoor procession, said the Rev. Ramon Bejarano, pastor of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Modesto.

The crowd was down from the 10,000 or so who attend in better weather.

"It was a very nice gathering," Bejarano said. "We had a great, beautiful time there. It was a very prayerful experience."

The event drew people from 25 parishes in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. It doubled as a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the diocese and its theme: Forever Young in Christ.