Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

ByLeslie Hultgren

Do you believe in miracles?

Here’s one that occurred on our  continent that will boost your faith  and increase your hope: the miracle  of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Her feast  day is December 12th. It is believed  that the Virgin Mary appeared to a  peasant named Juan Diego in 1531  in Tepeyac, Mexico. She left her  colorful image on Juan Diego’s tilma  (or cloak), along with roses which  were miraculously growing in that  region of Mexico and in addition, it  was the middle of winter. Imagine!  That tilma is still on display today  at the Basilica of Our Lady of  Guadalupe. Over 20 million pilgrims  visit the basilica each year.  

A few amazing facts about the tilma:  The image has been proven to have  not been painted by human hands.  The image and fabric have lasted  intact for nearly 500 years (it should  have disintegrated within only 15-20  years). Her eyes, when examined by  a microscope, have images of those  present at the unveiling: Juan Diego  and the bishop. 

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the  patroness of the Americas, unborn  children, and the New Evangelization.

Another beautiful fact is that the  image portrays Mary pregnant,  indicated by the black sash around her  waist.  

Millions upon millions of conversions  of Aztecs happened as a result of this  miracle, thus ending the widespread  practice of child sacrifice. 

If you’re not able to make the trip  to see the image, here are a few  ways your family can celebrate this  beautiful feast day: 

  • Pray the family rosary, or a  decade together 
  • Light a candle beside an image or  statue of Mary 
  • Read to your kids about the story  of Our Lady of Guadalupe 
  • Make a Mexican dinner such  as tacos, guacamole, frijoles negroes, or flan
  • Print a coloring page of Mary for  your kids to color 
  • Watch a Youtube video called  “The Amazing and Miraculous  Image of Our Lady of  Guadalupe”

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the  patroness of the Americas, unborn  children, and the New Evangelization.  Celebrating this feast day is part of  our Catholic culture and wouldn’t it  be great if our kids could pass it on to  their future families?  

Written by: By Molly Scherr 

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