The History of Our Lady of Guadalupe
On this day in 1531 Mary appeared to a humble Aztec Indian, Juan Diego in Tepeyac, Mexico. This story may not be familiar to many of us but the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is in every house of Latin-American immigrants in the United States today! She is the symbol of hope, of God’s presence in their struggles, of God’s hands in their lives.
We have a faithful Latino community at St. Mary’s Church in Omro and this weekend they will celebrate this feast with the Latino community in Oshkosh. She is their patroness but did you know, Pope John Paul II also proclaimed her the Patroness of ALL the Americas and the Unborn? When she appeared to Juan Diego, it was the ONLY time that Our Lady appeared in the Americas. It was also the only time she appeared in a vision as an expectant mother. Her image is carried throughout the world as a symbos of Pro Life.
As we continue to work toward greater unity between the Anglo and Latino families in our Catholic community, Our Lady of Guadalupe is the perfect image to bring us together. When the pope made his proclamation, it was to emphasize that America is ONE, that our unity and common problems are more important than our differences. We may not speak the same language, but our faith is the same in EVERY language. We are all Catholics.
Let us all pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of all the Americas. May she help to bring us together as one family in Jesus Christ!
When you have a moment, please stop in Marian Hall to see our newly framed picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe.