Our Lady of Guadalupe

The story

On December 9, 1531, Juan Diego, an indigenous man born in 1474, was walking to Mass when the Virgin Mary appeared to him on Tepeyac hill. Speaking in his native Nahuatl, she asked him to tell Bishop Juan de Zumárraga to build a church there. The bishop asked for a sign. Mary appeared again and told Juan Diego to gather Castilian roses that had bloomed on the barren hill. When he opened his tilma (cloak) before the bishop, they knelt in reverence: the image of the Virgin was imprinted on the fabric.

Devotion

Countless faithful turn to her for comfort and hope, because she is the Mother of our Lord (Revelation 12:17; Luke 1:43), and the Hail Mary is often prayed with petitions to her. Mary always leads us to her Son (Luke 1:38; John 2:5).

Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mystical Rose: Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mystical Rose, make intercession for Holy Church, protect the Sovereign Pontiff, help all those who invoke you in their necessities, and since you are the ever-Virgin Mary and Mother of the true God, obtain for us from your most holy Son the grace of keeping our faith, sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness of life, burning charity, and the precious gift of final perseverance. Amen.

Memorare to Our Lady of Guadalupe: Remember, O most gracious Virgin of Guadalupe, that in your celestial apparition on the mount of Tepeyac, you promised to show your compassion and pity towards all who, loving and trusting you, seek your help and protection. Accordingly, listen now to our supplications and grant us consolation and relief. We are full of hope that, relying on your help, nothing can trouble or affect us. As you have remained with us through your admirable image, so obtain for us the graces we need. Amen.

The Basilica and the feast

The tilma remains on display in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in the world. In the United States there is a Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The feast on December 12 has deep cultural significance in Mexico and among the indigenous peoples of the Americas, recalling Mary's closeness to the marginalized. St. John Paul II canonized Juan Diego in 2002.

The tilma's mysteries

Many healings, conversions and protections are attributed to her intercession. The tilma, of coarse cactus fiber, should have decayed long ago but remains intact. The image shows no brushstrokes and its colors have not faded, and studies report that the constellations on her mantle match the sky of December 12, 1531.