Our Lady of Guadalupe
Patroness of the Americas • Feast Day: December 12th
The miraculous image on the tilma of Saint Juan Diego, 1531
The Sacred Symbolism
The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is rich with symbolism that spoke directly to the indigenous people of Mexico. Every element of the miraculous image carries profound meaning that bridged two worlds and brought millions to the Catholic faith.
Hands Joined in Prayer
Her hands are joined in prayer and, therefore, she is not God but clearly there is one greater than she and she points her finger to the cross on her brooch.
Fur Cuffs
Her fur cuffs symbolize royalty.
Black Maternity Band
She wears a black maternity band signifying she is with Child.
Black Cross Brooch
A black cross is on the brooch around her neck. This signifies she is a follower of the God of the Spanish Missionaries, Jesus Christ who died on the cross for all.
Standing Before the Sun
She stands in front of the sun. The sun symbolizes the greatest Aztec god – Huitzilopochtli. She announces the God who is greater than their sun god.
Standing on the Moon
She stands on the moon. The crescent moon symbolized the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent moon god. She has clearly crushed and defeated him.
Angel with Eagle's Wings
An angel with eagle's wings supports the Mother of God. The eagle was the "bird of the sun." Here the eagle is the servant of the Virgin. She holds her mantle in one hand and robe with the other, signifying the Son she bears is from both heaven and earth.
Miraculous Image
To date the image cannot be explained by science.
The Great Conversion
The image on the tilma was able to do what up to that time the missionaries were not able to do significantly. Namely, clearly explain Christianity to the Indian people. The proof is in the fact that after the apparitions, eight million natives of Mexico converted to Catholicism from 1531 to 1538.
Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mystical Rose, make intercession for the Holy Church, protect the Sovereign Pontiff, help all those who invoke thee in their necessities, and since thou art the ever Virgin Mary and Mother of the true God, obtain for us from thy 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.
Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin
1474 – 1548 • Canonized: July 31, 2002
Humble Origins
Born as Cuauhtlatoatzin ("the talking eagle") in Cuautitlán, an indigenous Chichimec peasant
The Apparitions
December 9-12, 1531 – Four apparitions on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City
Tepeyac Hill
Site of the apparitions, now home to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The Story of Juan Diego
Juan Diego was a poor indigenous farmer who converted to Christianity around 1524 after the Spanish conquest. He was approximately 57 years old when, on December 9, 1531, while walking to Mass, he encountered the Blessed Virgin Mary on Tepeyac Hill.
Our Lady appeared as a young mestiza woman and spoke to Juan Diego in his native Nahuatl language. She asked him to go to Bishop Juan de Zumárraga and request that a chapel be built in her honor on that site. The bishop was skeptical and asked for a sign.
On December 12, Our Lady instructed Juan Diego to gather roses from the hilltop—miraculous in winter—and carry them in his tilma (cloak) to the bishop. When Juan Diego opened his tilma before Bishop Zumárraga, the roses fell to the floor, and the miraculous image of Our Lady was imprinted on the rough cactus-fiber cloth.
Juan Diego devoted the rest of his life to caring for the chapel built on Tepeyac Hill and sharing the story of the apparitions with pilgrims. He lived in a small hut near the chapel until his death in 1548. Pope John Paul II canonized him on July 31, 2002, making him the first indigenous American saint.
Our Lady's Words to Juan Diego
"Know for certain, smallest of my children, that I am the perfect and perpetual Virgin Mary, Mother of the True God through whom everything lives, the Lord of all things near and far, the Master of heaven and earth... Listen, put it into your heart, my youngest and dearest son, that the thing that disturbs you, the thing that afflicts you, is nothing. Do not let your countenance, your heart be disturbed. Am I not here, I who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow-sm and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need anything more?"