SUNLAND PARK — Since he was a child, Enrique Lopez and his family have made an annual pilgrimage up Mount Cristo Rey.
Lopez will carry the newest member of his family, his infant son, Enrique, up the 2 1/2 -mile route Sunday to pray and give thanks to God.
“This is my grandmother’s tradition, and we have followed it ever since,” Lopez, 37, said. “We usually pray the rosary going up. … It’s just an act of gratitude for all the blessings bestowed upon us.”
Lopez and his family will join the 20,000 to 30,000 people expected to participate in the 64th annual pilgrimage beginning at 10 a.m.
“It’s so inspiring to see … so many thousands of people climbing the mountain of Jesus Christ,” Catholic Bishop Ricardo Ramirez of Las Cruces said. “This has to be the largest or one of the largest pilgrimages in the United States.”
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