# The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe
*2014-12-03*

> Bill Young shares the miraculous account of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego and her lasting impact on the Americas.

## The First Apparition

At dawn on December 9, 1531, Juan Diego, a 57-year-old Mexican Indian convert, was on his way to attend a catechism class and Mass. As he passed through Tepeyac Hill, he saw a brilliant light and heard strange, crystal music. A feminine voice asked him to ascend the hill, where he found the Blessed Virgin Mary standing in a glorious light. Speaking to him in his native language, she expressed her desire for a shrine to be built there so she could demonstrate her love, compassion, and protection for all mankind who love, trust, and invoke her help.

## The Bishop's Skepticism

Following the Virgin's instructions, Juan Diego went to the bishop in Mexico City to convey her request. However, the bishop was reluctant to believe his story. Juan Diego returned to the hill, where the Blessed Virgin was waiting for him; she instructed him to return to the bishop the next day and repeat her wishes. When Juan Diego obeyed, the bishop asked for a sign to prove the truth of the apparitions.

## The Miracle of the Roses and the Tilma

Two days later, the Virgin appeared to Juan Diego while he was seeking a priest for his dying uncle. She told him to climb Tepeyac Hill, where he would find many flowers blooming. She assured him that his uncle was already well and would not die. Juan Diego found a garden of fresh blossoms, which he gathered and brought to the Blessed Virgin. She rearranged the flowers and told him to take them to the bishop.

When Juan Diego arrived at the bishop's home and opened his cloak, the flowers fell to the floor. To the astonishment of both the bishop and Juan Diego, the coarse fabric of the Indian's mantle now bore a beautifully colored portrait of the Virgin Mary, exactly as Juan Diego had described her.

## A Lasting Legacy

The Blessed Virgin also appeared to Juan's uncle, healing him and instructing him to tell the bishop that her image was to be known as Santa Maria de Guadalupe. Following these events, approximately eight million natives were converted to Christianity in a short span of seven years. The original sacred image has remained intact for more than four and a half centuries and can be viewed today at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

In October 1945, Pope Pius XII proclaimed Our Lady of Guadalupe to be the patroness of all the Americas. Her feast day is December 12th, which is a holy day of obligation in Mexico.

*The apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe served as a powerful instrument of conversion and a lasting sign of Mary's maternal protection over the Americas.*