RELIGION : SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA FILE / MARGARET RAMIREZ : Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe Will Tour Archdiocese

A unique replica of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe will arrive at Union Station in Los Angeles on Tuesday and continue on a journey throughout the three-county archdiocese of Los Angeles. The Guadalupe image, an object of devotion among Mexican immigrants, will be featured Dec. 11 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, where a Mass will be celebrated to honor the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The Most Rev. Gabino Zavala, auxiliary bishop of the San Gabriel region, will receive the reproduction at the Union Station terminal, and a welcoming ceremony will follow from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at Olvera Street. For the next three months, the image will travel on a historic pilgrimage to more than 50 Catholic churches throughout Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the name given to a series of apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1531 to Juan Diego, an Aztec convert to Christianity.

Devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe has spread throughout Latin America and to Latinos across the United States. The dark-skinned virgin emerged as a powerful icon for indigenous peoples, then evolved as a protector and liberator of immigrants and the poor in urban areas.

YOM KIPPUR

The Jewish High Holy Days culminate with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, starting the evening of Sept. 19. Here is a listing of some upcoming services and events in the area:

* Temple Beth Am brings the holy days to the elderly and shut-ins unable to attend synagogue by broadcasting Kol Nidre on the radio. Rabbi Joel Rembaum and Rabbi Jacob Pressman will lead services at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 19. The broadcast is on KGIL-AM (1260). Yom Kippur morning services are at 8:15. Temple Beth Am is at 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 652-7353.

* Beth Shir Shalom will hold Yom Kippur services in Schoenberg Hall on the UCLA campus. Kol Nidre will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 19. Tickets are required. Morning services the next day begin at 9:30. Tickets are also required for the morning service, and prearranged child care will be available. At 11:30 a.m., a youth service will be held followed by a discussion at 2 p.m. Beth Shir Shalom is at 1827 California Ave., Santa Monica. (310) 453-3361.

* The Stephen S. Wise Temple holds Kol Nidre services in the sanctuary of the Bel-Air Presbyterian Church and Skirball Cultural Center Auditorium. Early services begin Sept. 19 at 6 p.m., late services at 9 p.m. Yom Kippur early services begin the next day at 8:30 a.m. and late service is at 11:45 a.m.

* At 10 a.m. Sept. 19, thousands of Jews are expected to gather at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park in Los Angeles for the traditional Kever Avot service, honoring the memory of their loved ones. It is customary for Jews to visit cemeteries during holy days, and the outdoor service will include a program of cantorial and choral music. Mt. Sinai Memorial Park is at 5950 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles. (800) 600-0076.

* To celebrate the beginning of the Jewish new year, students from Shomrei Torah synagogue will participate in a presentation by the Chabad Shofar Factory on Wednesday and Thursday. The Shofar Factory is an educational tool that will demonstrate how a ram’s horn is prepared to be used as a shofar for the High Holy Days. Shomrei Torah synagogue is at 7353 Valley Circle Blvd., West Hills. Yom Kippur services at Shomrei Torah will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:15 to 4:30 p.m. with advance tickets Sept. 20. (818) 346-0811.

WOMEN’S GATHERING

More than 19,000 women are expected to gather at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim this weekend for the evangelical Christian conference Women of Faith. The movement, which is becoming known as the feminine version of the popular all-male Promise Keepers, is rapidly growing, and is traveling to 25 cities this year. Organizers say this year’s conference, called Outrageous Joy, has had the most enthusiastic response to date with more than 200,000 women registering in two months. The two-day event began Friday and continues today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information or to attend, call (914) 835-6498.

SERVICES

The 25th anniversary of an Evangelical Lutheran gay and lesbian ministry, Lutherans Concerned, will be celebrated at 7 p.m. Friday at Hollywood Lutheran Church, 1733 N. New Hampshire Ave. in Los Feliz. The Rev. Paul W. Egertson, bishop of Southern California’s West Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, will preach. The next day at 9 a.m., Pastor Jane Ralph, who was defrocked because of her sexual orientation, will lead a discussion. A communion service will follow at 3:15 p.m. Events are free. Call (323) 666-0146.

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