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 4th General Conference of the Latin America Episcopacy Crucifix and Our Lady of Guadalupe Scott 911 (1992) December 12 marks the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This title is given to the Blessed Virgin Mary when associated with the Marian apparitions that took place in 1531 in Mexico. On 12 December 1531, Juan Diego, an Aztec peasant, saw the vision of a woman on Tepayac Hill, near Mexico City. In a series of five apparitions, and speaking in the Aztec language, the woman identified herself as the Mother of God and asked that a church be built on the hill. Initially, Archbishop Juan de Zumarraga (a Spanish Basque Franciscan) did not believe the request and asked Juan Diego for a sign from the lady. During a following apparition, she produced a bundle of Castilian roses to be carried in his cloak (tilma) to take to the bishop of the city as a sign. The month was December and roses were native to Spain, not Mexico. An image of the lady was miraculously imprinted on the tilma when Juan Diego next visited the archbishop.  Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the tilma of Saint Juan Diego From Wikimedia Commons In the public domain Subsequently, Juan Diego’s uncle miraculously recovered from an illness as foretold by the lady. She also informed Diego that she wanted to be known with the name Guadalupe, the name of a very important Marian shrine in Spain. Other miracles have been associated with Juan Diego’s cloak. There is no scientific explanation for the image, which has not deteriorated over the past 450 years. Aztec symbols in the image assisted in the conversion of native peoples thereafter. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Our Lady of Guadalupe has served as an important Mexican national symbol. Our Lady of Guadalupe is Patron of Mexico, and of the United States where it is a feast in the dioceses of the U.S. Pope Leo XIII sanctioned the feast day in 1895. During his visit to Mexico in 1990, Pope John Paul II confirmed the liturgical cult honoring the simple peasant Juan Diego, beatifying him. Twelve years later, in 2002, he proclaimed him Saint Juan Diego. Today the cloak is located at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. It is the most visited Catholic shrine in the world.  Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City The New (left) and Old (right) Basilica Churches Photo by Sebastian Wallroth From Wikimedia Commons Used under terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license REFERENCES: |
