By Eugenio Amézquita Velasco
Translation: Guanajuato Desconocido
-Under the shelter of the Temple of El Carmen, Celaya becomes the stage for a sacred mourning that unites heaven with the wounded earth.
-The Procession of Silence has its origins in the Holy Week representations of Seville, Spain, established during the 16th century.
-A Procession of Silence is nothing more than the funeral accompaniment of a mother (the Virgin Mary) following the death of her son Jesus, our Redeemer.
-It takes place on Good Friday, following the services of the Holy Cross.
-It is also an expression of faith, where Christians—in an attitude of penance and mortification, motivated by silence—meditate upon and experience the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.
-This event is part of Good Friday traditions, which also include: praying the Stations of the Cross, meditating on the Seven Words of Jesus, the Adoration of the Cross, the praying of the Creed at 3:00 PM, the commemoration of the death of Jesus, and the reenactment of the Via Crucis.
-During his long tours, the Yucatecan Antonio del Olivar (a bullfighter) visited Seville, Spain; fortunately, he was able to witness and admire the sumptuous and solemn processions organized during Holy Week. Upon his return to Celaya in 1960, he asked the parish priest of the Sagrario for permission to hold a procession in the style of Seville; permission was denied, and he had to wait three years to see his dream come true.
-On April 12, 1963, a Good Friday, with the help of Friars Pedro de Santa María and Javier Espinoza de los Monteros, the first Procession of Silence was organized.
-In this first procession, the images of the Señor del Santo Entierro (Lord of the Holy Burial) and Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (Our Lady of Solitude) were brought out to the atrium.
-At that time, there were three confraternities: Santo Entierro, La Virgen de la Soledad, and Costaleros de la Soledad.
-The initiators were: The Pesquera brothers and cousins, Francisco “Baloncillo” Jaramillo, Miguel Flores, Manuel Amate, José Luis Marco Erdosain, Rafael Torre, José García Murrias, Manuel Bucio, and Antonio del Olivar.
-The participants, including bullfighters and enthusiasts, were: Antonio del Olivar, Joselito Huerta, Alfredo Leal, Juan Silveti, Humberto Moro, Miguel and Agustín Ojeda, Héctor Obregón, Pollo Galván, “Paquín” Millar, José Luis Merino, Don Pancho Bonilla, Rafael Torres López, Ángel Oliver, and Carlos Oliver.
-By 1967, there were already ten confraternities: Oración del Huerto, El Señor de la Columna, Cristo del Gran Poder, Jesús Nazareno, El Señor del Silencio, La Santa Cruz, Adoradores de la Santa Cruz, Señor del Santo Entierro, Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, and Costaleros de la Soledad.
-These brotherhoods and confraternities have contributed greatly to the flourishing of Christian life among us during these 63 years of processing in prayerful silence. These religious associations have provided a significant flow to the spiritual life of our people. Today, they continue to nourish the Christian life of many Catholics across our geography, specifically in Celaya and its communities.
In the heart of Celaya, where the air thickens with the scent of incense and the echo of centuries, the Temple of El Carmen stands as the guardian of a memory that transcends the human. The Procession of Silence is not a parade, nor a mere tradition worn down by time; it is the agonizing heartbeat of a people who stop to accompany the Most Holy Mother in her bitterest hour. It is Good Friday, and after the services of the Holy Cross, the city sheds its bustle to enter the sepulcher of meditation.
The procession will begin at 7:00 PM, departing from the Templo del Carmen in Celaya, at the corner of Obregón, Madero, and Carmen streets, in the city's Historic Center.
This tradition drinks from the fountains of Seville, but in Celaya, it has found fertile ground nourished by nostalgia and devotion. We remember with deep solemnity that April 12, 1963, when the dream of bullfighter Antonio del Olivar—after years of patient waiting and some refusals—came to life under the protection of the Carmelite friars. That first outing of the Lord of the Holy Burial and Our Lady of Solitude was not just the beginning of an event, but the opening of a spiritual portal where the pain of Christ became the people of Celaya's own.
To be a member of a confraternity is to accept a vocation of fraternity and sacrifice. It is not about the flashiness of the robe, but the nakedness of the soul beneath the hood (capirote). From the Heralds announcing medieval mourning, to the purity of the children accompanying the Holy Child of Prague, to the rawness of the Penitents dragging chains as a symbol of the recognition of their own faults, every step is a station toward redemption. It is moving to observe how the ancient guilds—butchers, livestock farmers, tenants of the Hidalgo, Morelos, and Abastos markets, soccer players, and slaughterhouse workers—have guarded this heritage, turning daily work into a sacred offering.
The silence of this night is absolute, broken only by the solemn and funeral tone of the drum and trumpet. It is a silence that screams the Seven Words and places us before the Paschal Mystery with immense responsibility. As the chronicles of these 63 years teach us, the material heritage—the blessed images, the artistic floats (andas), the banners—is but a reflection of a much richer heritage: that of the brothers and sisters who, united in prayer, give reason for their hope.
Today, as we welcome the new Confraternity of the Lord of the Three Falls in this year 2026, it is reaffirmed that the Church is alive. They see Mary, Mother of God and of all men, as the perfect model of faith in adversity. In every corner of Celaya and its communities, the Procession of Silence remains that "popular catechesis" that challenges the passerby and consoles the afflicted. Christ is the center of everyone's existence; through Him everything moves, and in His surrender, the meaning of one's own history is found. May the silence of this night not end at dawn, but resonate eternally in a consistent life.
Background of the Procession of Silence of the Temple of El Carmen in Celaya: What is a confraternity or brotherhood?
A brotherhood is an association of the faithful, a group of Christians with a similar vocation to live the faith. Its main characteristic comes from its name: fraternity; it is necessary for all its members to know each other and be willing to help one another. Associating requires a series of rules, objectives, goals, and activities that everyone wishes to respect and which give each confraternity its own personality, reflected in the statutes. The Church is formed by everyone: confraternities, the faithful, apostolic groups, catechism groups, etc.; all the baptized are part of it. The diversity of these groups enriches everyone. Jesus Christ is the element that unites, the principle and the goal of a confraternity. Confraternities cannot be understood without their aesthetics and their way of living the faith; without it, it would not be a confraternity, but an association of the faithful. Without faith, confraternities would not be what they are: they would only be a historical-cultural association.
What are the origins of confraternities?
The passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are reproduced in the liturgical services inside the temples, but the common people needed to see more, to identify with these events, and thus Holy Week took to the streets. Processions began to be celebrated as early as the 12th century, but it was especially following the Council of Trent (16th century) when the boom and expansion of this type of association began. In Celaya, the first public procession in the atrium of El Carmen was recorded in 1963, with the first brotherhoods that a few years later would become penitential confraternities.
What aspects should confraternities specifically attend to?
The spiritual-religious aspect is the primary and fundamental:
Personalizing the faith.
Promoting the community celebration of faith through the Eucharist.
Making known the evangelical passage being processed.
Giving reason for the faith and hope in what they believe and why they do it.
The cultural-historical aspect, as entities that have gathered over the years a series of artistic elements that serve as an expression of religious sentiment, which must be preserved and enhanced without prejudice to the obligatory social attention to people in their environment and social sectors in need.
What is their main external activity?
The main activity, though not the only one, is the procession; therefore, it must be specially prepared: everything must have a meaning and a sense. The processional outing becomes a true popular catechesis; therefore, it must reflect deep religiosity, seriousness, and respect. The culmination of all this must give the impression that what goes out into the street is not only our images, but the love announced daily through works and attitudes, both personally and socially, by its members united in fraternity.
Confraternities and Participants of the Procession of Silence
HERALDS
First participated in 2009. They originated in the Middle Ages; heralds were messengers who on horseback announced news or decrees to the kingdom. In this case, the heralds announce the death of our Lord and clear the way for the confraternities by calling for silence.
Attire: Black robe with gold relief, hat with feather headdress, black bow as a sign of mourning.
CONFRATERNITY OF THE "CHILD OF PRAGUE"
First participated in 1974; founded by the Lagunas family and later adopted by the Mireles family. Formed solely by children devoted to the Holy Child Jesus of Prague, representing Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. (Matthew 19:13-15).
Attire: White hood, white robe, red ribbon at the waist. The children carry a white flower signifying the purity of their hearts. It is the only "Glory" confraternity that processes in a penitential station.
CONFRATERNITY "INSTITUTION OF THE EUCHARIST"
Joined in 2024 as a penitential confraternity remembering the Lord's Last Supper (Matthew 26:26). They carry the image of the Señor de la Santa Cena (Lord of the Last Supper).
Attire: White robe, white capirote (pointed hood), gold-colored cape, dark brown huaraches (sandals), gold-colored cincture, white gloves.
Shield: Circular, representing the Chalice and Host, with a glow in the background.
CONFRATERNITY "PRAYER IN THE GARDEN"
First participated in 1965; originally formed by soccer players and their families. Represents Jesus praying in Gethsemane.
Attire: Royal blue hood, white robe; the shield on the chest features a soccer ball with a tilted cross. Huaraches.
CONFRATERNITY OF THE "LORD OF THE COLUMN"
First participated in 1965; formed by tenants of city markets. Represents the Savior being scourged while tied to the column.
Attire: White hood with a black cross shield, black robe, rope belt, barefoot.
CONFRATERNITY OF THE ECCE HOMO
First participated in 2011. Represents the moment the Savior is brought before Pilate.
Attire: Pretorian soldier costume.
CONFRATERNITY "LORD OF SILENCE"
First participated in 1969; formed by market butchers and ranchers. Represents Jesus being questioned by Pilate (Matthew 27:14).
Attire: Sky blue cape, royal blue robe, white gloves, rope belt, huaraches.
CONFRATERNITY "JESUS OF NAZARETH"
First participated in 1972. Represents the first station of the Cross: Jesus carrying his cross on the way to Calvary.
Attire: Red hood with a white cross, white robe, ixtle (fiber) cord belt, barefoot.
CONFRATERNITY "LORD OF THE AGONY"
Newly created in 2025; originates from the Tierras Negras neighborhood. The image is known as the Cristo de la Esperanza (Christ of Hope).
Attire: Black robe, black hood, green cincture, green cape, huaraches.
CONFRATERNITY "7 SORROWS OF MARY"
First participated in 2014. Represents the seven culminant moments of the Virgin Mary's sorrows, symbolized by seven swords.
Attire: Purple robe, white hood, white cape, white sash, white gloves, huaraches.
CONFRATERNITY "CHRIST OF THE GREAT POWER"
First participated in 1966. Founded by the Knights of Columbus. Represents a dead Christ on the Cross.
Attire: Maroon hood, maroon robe, stevedore-type cloth sash with gold cord, beige cape, huaraches.
CONFRATERNITY "MERCEDARIANS IN ACTION"
First participated in 1970. They carry the image of La Piedad (The Pieta).
Attire: White capuchon (hood), white cape, white robe, red sash.
CONFRATERNITY "OF THE HOLY CROSS"
First participated in 1966. Represents the Cross and the Resurrection. The Cross features a shroud.
Attire: Bishop-purple hood and robe, pearl-colored cape, white gloves, gold buttons/cord, black huaraches or shoes.
CONFRATERNITY "LORD OF THE HOLY BURIAL"
First participated in 1963; one of the three founding confraternities. Composed only of women who opt for simplicity.
Attire: Black robe, long black lace veil, black Spanish comb (peineta), black cotton or lycra gloves, black flat shoes, black stockings; no makeup or jewelry.
CONFRATERNITY OF THE "PENITENTS"
First participated in 1967. A penitential confraternity where members carry wooden crosses and chains.
Attire: Black robe and hood, chains on feet, huaraches, rope belt, shield with an 8-pointed star.
CONFRATERNITY "COSTALEROS OF SOLITUDE"
First participated in 1965. Originally formed by market porters. They carry the Virgin of Solitude.
Attire: Ixtle-type sack hood, black robe, rope belt.
CONFRATERNITY OF THE LORD OF THE THREE FALLS (NEW CONFRATERNITY)
Founded in 2025; 2026 marks its first participation.
Attire: Combination of red and black colors. #MetroNewsMx #GuanajuatoDesconocido
