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[Catholic Caucus] Protector of the IndiansAbove: the old and new basilicas of Our Lady of Guadalupe.In the year 1527 King Charles V of Spain spent Holy Week at the Franciscan Monastery of Barajo near the city of Burgo in northern Spain. Friar Juan de Zumarraga was the prior of the monastery at this time. So impressed was the King by Friar Zumarraga’s holiness and capabilities that a year later, in 1528, he recommended that he become the first bishop of Mexico. His official title would be “Protector of the Indians.”Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowOne might wonder why a Franciscan would...

A sculpture of the Virgin Mary that appeared to be crying at a church in New Mexico is being investigated after it was determined her tears were olive oil. The statue, which is located at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Hobbs, underwent a chemical analysis that was determined to be “a scented olive oil.” “Some of the witnesses claimed it smelled of roses,” said Bishop Oscar Cantu of the diocese. “So something similar to the oil I bless and consecrate each year that we use for baptism, for confirmations and for ordination of the priests.” An investigation...

In the Midst of Much Blood, God Extended a Rose – A Meditation on Guadalupe and Mother Mary Msgr. Charles Pope • December 12, 2016 • I’d like to reflect this evening on the first reading from today’s Mass for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a...

December 12, 2016 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Reading 1 Zec 2:14-17 Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,and they shall be his people,and he will dwell among you,and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.The LORD will possess Judah as his portion in the holy land,and he will again choose Jerusalem.Silence, all mankind, in the presence of the LORD!For he stirs forth from his holy dwelling. Or Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab...

Celebrating Guadalupe, the Mother of Love 12/5/2016 The Story of Our Lady Guadalupe The FilmGuadalupe Timeline Read the ‘Nican Mopohua’ – the oldest surviving account of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe.A Mission from the Virgin On Saturday, December 9, 1531, while on his way for religious instruction, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, an Indian and recent convert to Christianity, heard singing coming from the top of Tepeyac hill. Suddenly, the singing stopped, and a woman’s voice called out to him: “Juantzin, Juan Diegotzin.” Ascending the hill, Juan Diego found himself before a beautiful woman adorned in clothing that “shone like...

In 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared to Mexican peasant Juan Diego. To prove to all that the apparitions were real, the Virgin imprinted an image of herself on Juan Diego's tilma, a thin cloth made of cactus fibres. This type of tilma normally decays in 30 to 40 years. But Juan Diego's tilma is still miraculously intact and the same as it was when he wore it. Over the centuries, many have expressed doubts about the divinity of the image, but Prof. Victor Campa Mendoza has no doubt whatsoever. "This is not a human act but an act of God,"...

But this article isn’t about the whole apparition story so much as it is about the tilma, Juan Diego’s cloak, on which the image of the Blessed Mother was imprinted. In the centuries following the event, some amazing and unexplainable qualities have been discovered about it. Here’s four (literally) awesome facts about the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe:

STRANGE LIGHT CLAIMED IN GUADALUPE IMAGE AFTER MEXICO CITY OKAYED ABORTION An apparent communique from Dr. Jean-Pierre Dickès, president of the Catholic Association for Doctors, Nurses and Health Professionals, reports what may have been an unusual luminosity in the famed image of Mary at the Shrine of Guadalupe in Mexico City immediately after that city legalized abortion. The event is said to have occurred on April 24 -- the day legislators okayed termination of the unborn up to twelve weeks. However, the similarity to photos taken in 1999 by an American raises questions that require further investigation for authenticity. "At...

This past week we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. (And, given my mention of Fatima, you may wonder why I have Our Lady of Guadalupe pictured here, but more on that in a moment). But as for Fatima, with all the emphasis on the magnificent teaching and prophetic fulfillment of that apparition, something that has always intrigued me is that she would appear of all places in a town called Fatima. Why Fatima, a town that recalls the daughter of Mohammed?Indeed, I have often heard that Muslims hold our Blessed Mother Mary in high regard. This reverence...

Reflecting on this evening of the great feast of our Lady of Guadalupe, I am mindful of the first reading we had today from the book of Revelation the 12th chapter. A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems....

When I first heard "For Greater Glory" (originally titled "Cristiada," which I prefer) was being shot, I was stunned -- and skeptical. It never could be produced by Hollywood. In fact, it wouldn't be a theatrical release, maybe a short documentary, certainly with a small budget. On the former, I was correct; it was made in Mexico. On the latter, I was wrong; it's a full-fledged major motion picture with grade-A talent. And it's wonderful. The cast includes Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria, Peter O'Toole (in a cameo role as a murdered priest, the octogenarian is splendid), Ruben Blades and...

Details: As the sun set over Mexico City, the Vice President of the United States toured the shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe. After a tour, VPOTUS walked across the square to the Antigua Parroquia de Los Indios (Old Church of the Indians), part of the pilgrimage for millions of Catholics.Later, under a full moon, when reporters asked his assessment of the candidates he had met earlier, VPOTUS said, “I rather not talk about the candidates … I had a wonderful day with the candidates, but I had a better day here. I would have come just for this …...

Mary, Mother of Life Our Lady of Guadalupe By: Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, miraculously imprinted on St. Juan Diego’s cloak, speaks a message about life. First, it shows that Mary is carrying Christ within her. She is wearing a dark cord with two tassels hanging down from her waist, called a cinta, which was worn only by pregnant women. And photographs of the image, studied by scientists, reveal a slight protrusion of the abdomen, indicating Our Lady is carrying the Christ Child in her womb. An interesting symbol of life on the...

[SNIP] "He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel." Scripture scholars over the years have debated regarding the word he. Should it be translated he or she or even they? But does it matter? In another words, does the he refer to the Messiah who is to come? Does the she refer to Mary? Does the they refer to the descendants of Mary; i.e., Christ and the Church? [SNIP] ...all three lead us to the same conclusion. Since it depends which original text is being used for the translation into our modern languages (the Septuagint or...

ENCINITAS, Calif.- Officials in a California city said they are researching a way to remove a stained-glass mosaic of a surfing Madonna without damaging the piece. The Encinitas City Council unanimously agreed the unauthorized mosaic, installed by a group of artists under a train bridge on Encinitas Boulevard just before Easter, must come down, and they voted to allot $2,000 for an arts conservation agency to investigate ways to remove the art without damaging it, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Thursday. The mosaic depicts Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary, riding a surfboard alongside the...

Spain's soccer team, along with members of the Spanish Soccer Federation, are in Mexico to offer the 2010 World Cup trophy to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Video at link...

This is indeed a difficult blog to write. Not only because my favorite book on the subject went missing, but I believe, if I write this story just right, millions of souls will convert to Christ ... "That's fantasy!" you may say, and yet that is EXACTLY what happened when Our Lady of Guadalupe first appeared. It happened in Mexico in December of 1531. Many Catholics have heard the story of how Mary suddenly appeared to the poor peasant Juan Diego on his way to daily Mass. Juan had already converted to Catholicism, and yet Her appearance, Her promise of...

Our Lady of Guadalupe: She Who Smashes the Serpent Written by Cesar Franco    Monday, 30 November 2009 11:59 Pope Pius XII gave Our Lady of Guadalupe the title of “Empress of the Americas” in 1945. Since December 12 is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, this is a propitious moment to recall how she reigns over our nation from Heaven, protecting and guiding us with motherly solicitude and tenderness. The constant miracle memorialized on Saint Juan Diego’s tilma and the context of the apparitions remind us that Our Lady is victorious over the serpent, intervenes in history and...

Calls the project a "labor of love." ~~~~ Infamous Hollywood screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, 64, known for such sordid films as Basic Instinct and Showgirls, has undergone a conversion and now will be writing a new film on Our Lady of Guadalupe. Eszterhas has been one of Hollywood's most influential screenwriters, writing lucrative blockbuster films, such as Flashdance, Jagged Edge, and Basic Instinct, and raking in million-dollar paychecks. Known for living the full 'Hollywood lifestyle', Eszterhas gave it up to move home to Ohio with his wife and children in the late 1990s. In 2001, faced with throat cancer resulting from...

Secretary of State Clinton expresses admiration for Margaret Sanger and confusion about Our Lady of Guadalupe. A day before receiving the Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s highest honor – the “Margaret Sanger Award” – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton paid a visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, leaving a bouquet of white flowers “on behalf of the American people,” and asking the basilica’s rector, “Who painted it?”