A serenade for Our Lady: Carolina Imperial returns to Mexico to sing at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Carolina Imperial stands before Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Fort Worth. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)
Almost four hundred years ago, St. Juan Diego saw an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who bade him to build a shrine on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico. With an armful of exotic Castilian roses wrapped in a tilma imprinted with the colorful image of the Blessed Mother, the saint convinced Archbishop Juan de Zumárraga of Mexico City of the validity of the apparition.
Now, on the eve of Dec. 12, a cantor at St. Michael Parish in Bedford will serenade the Blessed Mother at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which sits on the very hill where she once appeared.
In her letter of introduction to the Basilica, Carolina Imperial described the opportunity to sing the self-written ballad, “Jamás Dejaste Mi Lado,” [You Never Left My Side] as the “greatest gift of my life” and “a tribute to the Virgin, who never abandoned me and was always by my side, even in the most difficult times.”
Upon receiving word that she had been chosen to join the prestigious lineup of artists to perform before the sacred tilma in the Basilica for the 2024 Serenata Guadalupana, Imperial was shocked and then filled with joy.
The performance will be a milestone for the 35-year-old artist and mark her first return to her native Mexico since the age of six when her parents brought her to the U.S. for better opportunities.
Imperial, who recently received a residency card through a visa for victims of domestic violence, stressed her awe at the fact that her first visit back will be to sing to La Virgencita.
“There’s a lot of symbolism there in my heart,” the former DACA recipient said. “It feels like Mexico is embracing me and allowing me to enter through the front door. In my heart, there is no greater entry back than to go and sing to the Virgin.”
‘You had already performed the miracle’
Reflecting on her long journey to the Basilica, the local singer-songwriter thinks back to the many “little taps from God” she’s experienced. “I feel that God has molded things and has led me into this path all along.”
A year before her conversion to the Church in 2014, Imperial met Aida Cuevas, a famous mariachi singer she’d always admired. She shared with Cuevas her love for music, her frustrations with her immigration status, and her longing for Mexico.
“She heard all my stories then she opened up her wallet, and she pulled out an image of Our Lady with the Magnificat on the back. She put it in my hands and said, ‘Always carry this with you. Ask her for guidance, ask her to protect you,’” Imperial said, the worn prayer card in hand.
Imperial’s conversion to the Church began with an invitation to sing the Ave Maria for a wedding at a Mary Immaculate Catholic church. Her talent recognized, she received more requests to sing at several parishes in the Metroplex, including Immaculate Heart of Mary in Fort Worth and St. Michael in Bedford, among others.
‘I felt so alone’
In 2018, Imperial married and dreamed of starting a family. That dream unfortunately came to a halt in the tumult of her marriage, which ended in 2020 after Imperial was referred to a women’s shelter because of domestic violence.
“Life happens really fast,” she said. “I remember the Carolina that I was when I went into the relationship, going through the marriage classes, the preparation for it, getting married that day, and then how everything fell apart, and feeling so alone.
“And that's when we ultimately lean on God again,” she continued. “We lean on our Rosary just as when Mary stood at the foot of the cross.”
The singer has since continued to volunteer and perform for those who seek refuge at SafeHaven of Tarrant County, looking to be “beacon of hope” for other survivors.
“If we pray, it’s never in vain,” Imperial said. “We just have to trust and have the faith that is required to carry things through and do our best day by day.”
‘You’ve Never Left My Side’
When a drunk driver crashed into her car in March 2022, her car was destroyed, but Imperial made it out of the accident with some nerve damage but no fractures or scrapes.
The incident ultimately reminded her to lean into her faith. “God knows what He’s doing, and that He has perfect timing and a plan for everything.”
Shortly afterward, Imperial received notice about the annulment of her marriage.
At once, she felt a rekindled hope for her future; guilt for doubting her faith; and a powerful relief that God and Our Lady never left her side.
“'This is actually happening,’” Imperial recalled herself saying. “’I have a second chance at life. I can do better.’ And then they called me [to participate in a Guadalupana serenade in Dallas] and that’s when I wrote the song. Every single word in the song, it’s what I had to say to her, La Virgencita.”
Now, one year later, Imperial prepares to sing her love and gratitude to Our Lady of Guadalupe in her native land, and she hopes all who hear her music remember “God is alive and very well and no matter how dire our situation may be, no matter what situation we find ourselves in, He’s always there.
“God knows we’re human, and so does the Virgencita,” Imperial continued. “That’s why she loves us, just like a mother would.”
"Jamás dejaste mi lado": Translated lyrics
Unmentionable the times that I asked you to raise my prayers to your Son for me.
I felt so alone and, in fear, I believed that your grace, Mary, I would not again receive.
Time passed and I realized: the salt of my eyes with which I lived had blinded me, I could not see.
My Mother! You hadn't left me. You had already fulfilled the miracle for me.
It wasn't as I wanted it to have happened.
But there's no doubt Divine Lady. You never left my side.
Carolina Imperial's performance at the Basilica (Performance begins at 5:00:37):