Our Lady of Guadalupe first introduced herself as the Mother of God and the mother of all humanity when she appeared on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico in 1531. An indigenous peasant, Juan Diego, saw a glowing figure on the hill. After she had identified herself to him, Our Lady asked that Juan build her a shrine in that same spot, in order for her to show and share her love and compassion with all those who believe.
Afterwards, Juan Diego visited Juan de Zumárraga, who was Archbishop of what is now Mexico City. Zumárraga dismissed him in disbelief and asked that the future Saint provide proof of his story and proof of the Lady’s identity.
Juan Diego returned to the hill and encountered Our Lady again. The Virgin told him to climb to the top of the hill and pick some flowers to present to the Archbishop.
Although it was winter and nothing should have been in bloom, Juan Diego found an abundance of flowers of a type he had never seen before. The Virgin bundled the flowers into Juan’s cloak, known as a tilma. When Juan Diego presented the tilma of exotic flowers to Zumárraga, the flowers fell out and he recognised them as Castilian roses, which are not found in Mexico.
What was even more significant, however, was that the tilma had been miraculously imprinted with a colorful image of the Virgin herself.
It’s only fitting that Out Lady of the Americas ‘accompany’ us during our journeys the past two years. Our Lady and especially, Our Lady of Guadeloupe have been very prominent.
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
Here are just some of the pictures of Our Lady of Guadeloupe in the churches we’ve visited.
P.S. Did you know the timing of Guadeloupe? Following the schism of the Protestant break of God’s Church, millions were led astray. Europe, once a bastion of faith and defender of Catholicism was lost in a path of anti-clerisicm, waining faith and even brutal attacks against God’s One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Mary turned her eye upon the Americas. And, in a country born of paganism, human sacrifice and horrible treatment of its people, she showed herself as the Lady of Guadeloupe. And, millions came to believe in God and follow the Catholic faith. God always opens the floodgates when man tries to close the doors on Him.