Born in Mexico in 1474, Juan Diego and Marie Lucia were among the first to be baptized by twelve Franciscans who arrived in 1524. 

But five years later Maria Lucia died and for the next two years, Juan Diego continued his humble and devout journey while living with and caring for his uncle. 

On the morning of December 9, 1531, he was making his way to mass when he heard an unusually beautiful sound which he said resembled the sound of singing birds. Juan then saw a radiant cloud on a hill near Tepeyak and, inside the cloud, a beautiful woman who looked like an Aztec princess. 

Speaking to Juan in his native language, she tells him she is the Virgin Mother and that she wants him to tell the Bishop, Juan de Zumarraga, to build a chapel on the site so that she will have a place to hear the petitions and the suffering of those who come to her. 

Juan does as he is told but the Bishop is not convinced. When he returns to Tepeyak, The Blessed Mother sends him back to the bishop a second time. The Bishop becomes frustrated and tells Juan he wants to see a sign. 

Juan intends to return the next morning but when he gets home he finds his uncle is very sick. For the next two days, he cares for his uncle who is approaching death. As he heads out to find a priest he encounters the Blessed Mother a third time. Afraid and Dad, Juan tells her everything that has happened. She responds by saying: “Am I not your mother? Are you not in the crossing of my arms?” 

So, Juan asks for a sign to bring to the Bishop. Mary tells him to climb Tepeyak where he will find flowers to give to the Bishop. 

Because it is December Juan is skeptical but he does indeed find flowers, more beautiful than any he has ever seen. Putting them in his tilma, he carries them to the Bishop. 

The Bishop, now having waited for two days, is more skeptical than ever. Juan opens his tilma and outflows the beautiful flowers onto the floor. 

Astonished, the Bishop then sees that on Juan’s tilma is an image of a native princess and under her feet, a great crescent moon. 

The message is clear. She is more powerful than the Aztec gods but she is not God herself. 

She also appears to Juan’s uncle and tells him she wants to be known as Santa Maria de Guadalupe. 

The Bishop has the temple built and nearly 500 years later, the image and the tilma remain intact. 

Our lady of Guadalupe, please pray for us.