Born in Mexico in 1474, Juan Diego and his wife, Maria Lucia, were among the first to be Baptized by 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 9th, 1531, he was making his way to mass when he heard an unusually beautiful sound which, he said, resembled the songs of singing birds. 

Juan then saw a radiant cloud on a hill near Tepeyac and, inside the cloud, a beautiful woman who looked like an Aztec Princess. 

The woman spoke to Juan in his native language and told him she was the Virgin Mary and that she wanted him to tell the Bishop, Juan de Zumarraga, to build a chapel on the site so that She would have a place to hear the petitions and the suffering of those who would come to her. 

Juan did as he was told, but the Bishop did not believe him. After he returned home, The Blessed Mother appeared to him again and sent him back to see the Bishop a second time. The Bishop, growing frustrated, demanded to see a sign. 

Juan intended to return the next day, but when he got home he found his uncle was very sick, so he spent the next two days caring for him. 

Concerned that his uncle was about to die, he went in search of a priest and encountered the Blessed Mother a third time. 

Afraid and sad, Juan tells her everything that has happened. The Blessed Mother responds by saying:
“Am I not your mother? Are you not in the crossing of my arms?” 

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

Even though it was December, Juan found the most beautiful flowers he had ever seen. Putting them in his tilma, he carried them to the Bishop. 

The Bishop, having now waited for two days, was now more skeptical than ever. 

Juan opened his tilma and out came the beautiful flowers onto the floor. 

The astonished Bishop then sees, on Juan’s tilma, the image of a native Princess, and under her feet, a great crescent moon. 

The Blessed Mother also appeared to Juan’s sick uncle, curing him, and saying she wants to be known as Santa Maria de Guadalupe 

The Bishop had the temple built and, nearly 500 years later, inside the temple, Juan’s tilma with the image of the Blessed Mother, remains intact. 

St. Juan Diego, please pray for us.