Our Lady of Guadalupe

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December 12th

On December 9, 1531 Juan Diego, a Chichimeca Indian, saw an apparition of a young girl at the Hill of Tepeyac, near modern day Mexico City. The girl asked that a church be built on the site. Juan Diego reported this to the Archbishop, who insisted that he receive a sign to verify this miraculous appearance.  First Juan Diego's uncle was healed.  The Virgin told Juan Diego to gather flowers from the top of the hill. He picked flowers and the Virgin arranged them in his tilma (a cloak).  When Juan Diego returned to the Archbishop and opened his cloak,  flowers fell to the floor and on the tilma was the image of the Virgin as seen in the picture. The flowers were not native to Mexico (they were Castilian roses).  Juan Diego was canonized in 2002. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most visited shrine in the world. Her feast is celebrated in the Western world on December 12th.