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Maria Elena Mendoza's son, Ishmael, was born Elsa Peretti Open Wave pendant a skeletal defect affecting his skull and legs. Doctors in Mexico didn't give him much of chance but Mendoza prayed to the virgin for her "pobrecito" and, after a series of operations -- first in Mexico, then in Memphis -- he was able to walk and to function at a high level. Mendoza is convinced La Virgen interceded to Jesus on behalf of her son Elsa Peretti Open Wave ring, as a memento, throughout her "poor, little house," she keeps images of the virgin, including a tapestry, and several statues and candles. To the uninitiated such trinkets might seem like idol worship, but according to Elquin Gonzales, Hispanic minister at St. James Catholic Church in Tupelo, Elsa Peretti Round Bracelet a misunderstanding. "We should think of Mary like the Arc of the Covenant," said Gonzales, pouring green salsa over hand-made tortillas filled with carne asada and chorizo. He said a quick hello to the cooks at La Carreta Mexican Restaurant in Tupelo. "The Virgin of Guadalupe is pregnant, she carries Jesus inside. The children of Israel Elsa Peretti Round earrings worship the arc, they treasured what was inside it." Hispanic Catholics, said Gonzales, don't pray to Mary, nor do they worship her. They venerate her as the means through which Jesus entered the world. "This is not magic," he said, gathering a pinch of cilantro. "She is the 'nuevo arco,' the new Arc of the Covenant." The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, celebrated Dec. 12, is more than just a religious observation, it's a celebration of Hispanic heritage.