Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (1531 AD)
Name of Feast: Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Feast Day: December 12
Period: December 09 – 12, 1531 AD
Location: Tepeyac Hill, Mexico City, Mexico
Special Significance: Primary Patroness of the Americas, patroness of the unborn, Mother of Mexico.
St. Juan Diego and Our Lady's Apparition
On December 9, 1531, Mother Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego, a humble indigenous Christian, near Tepeyac Hill.
She instructed him to go to Bishop Juan de Zumárraga and request that a church be built on that hill.
The bishop did not immediately believe the humble peasant and asked for a miraculous sign from the Lady.
Miracle of the Roses and Image on the Tilma
On December 12, Mother Mary appeared again to Juan Diego and told him to gather Spanish roses that had miraculously bloomed on the cold hill and carry them in his mantle (tilma) to the bishop.
When Juan Diego opened his tilma before the bishop, the roses fell to the floor.
Instantly, a miraculous image of Mother Mary depicted as an indigenous maiden glowing with bright light appeared imprinted on the cactus-fiber cloth.
Conversion and Historical Significance
Seeing the miracle, the bishop and onlookers knelt in tears and venerated Our Lady.
The simple tilma containing the miraculous image remains miraculously preserved without decay in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe after nearly 500 years.
Following this apparition, millions of indigenous Mexicans embraced the Catholic faith within a few years.
Spiritual Lesson
Recognizing that God chooses the humble and simple over the worldly proud for His works, and trusting in Mother Mary's maternal love and intercession, is the lesson taught by Our Lady of Guadalupe.