The Story Of Our Lady Of Guadalupe

[Guest C. Lourdes Walsh]

May is the month most especially dedicated to Our Lady and the month in which we remember our earthly mothers as well. A wonderful way to commemorate both is to experience the motherhood of Our Lady through the beautiful story of Mary's appearance to a simple peasant in Mexico in 1531.

 

When Mary appeared to Juan Diego she was pregnant, desiring to bring Jesus to the "New World" that had just begun to hear the Good News. She entrusted a mission to Juan Diego and calmed his fears just as a mother would, saying "Am I not here, I who am your mother?"

 

Easy to read and exquisitely beautiful, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Empress of America, is illustrated with color pictures of all 18 paintings from Jorge ("El Maestro") Sanchez-Hernandez's "Nican Mopohua" collection, which the great artist painted to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the apparitions. The collection is perhaps the most moving telling of the story in existence and has rarely been seen outside of Mexico.

 

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Empress of America, also includes a picture of the face of Our Lady of Guadalupe, photographed directly from the tilma in Mexico City.

 

During this month we also celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, to whom Pope John Paul II honored so lavishly as the One who saved his life from the bullets on her feast day. And the last day of May we celebrate the feast of the Visitation, when Our Lady, pregnant, visited her cousin, Elizabeth, who also was with child.