Like my parents did on their wedding day, millions have descend to local churches annually on December 12 and their faith shows no signs of fading.
The growth in the United States is strong, but there are many more in Central and South America, where, along with the Philippines, their devotion has deep roots.
The miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is centuries old and her message to St. Juan Diego has been translated into numerous languages over the years. So what more can we learn about Our Lady of Guadalupe and her message?
Handcrafted art by: Yirong Chen Soto *GUADALUPE" Yirong's needle point embroidery was produced with yarn stitched through an open weave canvas.
The new film is based on Anderson and Msgr. Chavez’s New York Times bestseller, “Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love.” Narrated by actor Jim Caviezel, the documentary brings the story behind one of the most easily recognized religious images to life with 3D animation, live action reenactments, and expert commentary.
The documentary shows that while Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez had outlawed the practice of human sacrifice, the Aztecs were witnessing the collapse of their empire, the enslavement of their people by the Spaniards, and catastrophic loss of life due to virulent disease ripping through their population.
Spanish missionaries also recognized the dire situation in Mexico City. Bishop Juan de Zumarraga was so disgusted with the abuses carried out on the native population by the new Spanish government, that he felt that unless a miracle occurred, Mexico City would be lost. He even went to so far as to order all the priests to abandon the city until the government changed its ways.
Thankfully, a miracle did come by the way of the Virgin Mary appearing to the humble peasant, Juan Diego, telling him to have Bishop Zumarraga build a shrine for her on the top of Tepeyac Hill.
In the years that followed, even in the midst of ongoing strife with the Spanish government, one of the largest conversions in the history of the Church took place with 9 million natives being baptized.
Our Lady of Guadalupe (Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Mexico) https://youtu.be/BbK2ya0zqTU via @YouTube
Guadalupe: The Miracle and the Message https://youtu.be/OuLFyeqke_M via @YouTube
Handcrafted art By: Yirong Chen Soto GUADALUPE Her needle point embroidery was produced with yarn stitched through an open weave canvas.