Remembering Pedro García: Founder of the Bay Area’s Cruzada Guadalupana

Pedro García, founder of the Cruzada Guadalupana, a decades-old San Francisco Bay Area pilgrimage honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe, died Sept. 5 at age 86.

García, who was born Feb. 22, 1940, devoted much of his life to promoting devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe and bringing Catholics together in a public expression of faith.

The annual Cruzada Guadalupana began in 1994 when García and his wife, Martha, gathered with friends to organize a pilgrimage from All Souls Catholic Church in South San Francisco to the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco. The first pilgrimage began with about 80 people. By the time the group reached the cathedral, about 250 pilgrims had joined them.

The following year, more than 1,000 people participated, and the pilgrimage continued to grow over the years. In 2019, more than 35,000 pilgrims participated, according to an interview García gave to the Archdiocese of San Francisco. In recent years, participation has reached more than 39,000 people.

For García, the pilgrimage was rooted in a personal devotion to the Virgin Mary.

“I always asked her for help, the intercession of the Virgin of Guadalupe, our Blessed Mother,” García said in an interview shared by the archdiocese. He said he prayed to her for help with difficulties involving family, work and health.

That personal devotion eventually became a tradition shared by tens of thousands of Catholics.

“The pilgrimage allows us to promote and make known the devotion to Our Lady,” García said. He noted that although the pilgrimage began primarily among Mexican and other Hispanic Catholics, it eventually became a multicultural celebration that attracted people from many parts of the world.

The pilgrimage also received the support of the Archdiocese of San Francisco from its earliest days. García recalled approaching then-Archbishop John R. Quinn, who gave permission for the first pilgrimage. Archbishop Quinn was himself devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Over the years, the Cruzada became a familiar sight in San Francisco each December. Pilgrims walk through the streets carrying images of Our Lady of Guadalupe, praying the rosary, singing and participating in traditional dances and other expressions of devotion before arriving at the cathedral for Mass.

The pilgrimage covered roughly 12 miles from South San Francisco to the cathedral.

García and Martha also became known as leaders of the local Guadalupan community. A 2019 report in San Francisco Católico identified the couple as founders of the Cruzada Guadalupana and featured them together at a Mass celebrating the renewal of their marriage vows.

For García, however, the pilgrimage was more than an annual event. It was an opportunity for people to publicly express their love for the Virgin Mary.

“We wanted to let her know that we love her and to really express this love to her by doing this pilgrimage,” García said in an interview marking the pilgrimage’s 30th anniversary.

The Cruzada Guadalupana celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023, by which time the pilgrimage had become one of the largest annual expressions of Catholic devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Bay Area.

García’s funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 19 at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, 1111 Gough St., San Francisco. His body will be present beginning at 9 a.m. for those who wish to pay their respects.

García is survived by a legacy of devotion that continues each December as pilgrims make their way toward the cathedral, carrying with them the Marian devotion that inspired him to begin the journey more than three decades ago.