Reproduction of the Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Midland Reporter-Telegram
By Megan Lea Buck
Assistant Lifestyle Editor
In 1531 a woman appeared to an Aztec farmer named Juan Diego near the Hill of Tepeyac in Mexico, according to Catholic beliefs. The woman, speaking in the farmer's native language, asked him to travel to nearby Mexico City to ask Spanish Bishop Fray Juan de Zumarraga for a church to be built near the hill.
Diego told de Zumarraga of his vision, but the bishop dismissed him. Discouraged, the farmer returned to the woman and pleaded with her to send someone else. She told the farmer she had chosen him and again asked him to go to the bishop. This time the bishop asked the farmer to return with a sign from the woman. Discouraged, the farmer returned home where he found his uncle had fallen ill. On his way to find a priest to attend to his dying uncle, Diego once again passed the Hill of Tepeyac and saw the woman.
She told him not to worry about his uncle as he already was healed, and instructed him to gather the flowers that were blooming on the hillside. The flowers were Castilian roses, native to the bishop's home in Spain. Diego gathered the roses and brought them to the woman who arranged them in his cloak, or tilma, and told him to visit the bishop once again. When Diego opened his cloak to show the roses to the bishop, the flowers fell to the floor, revealing the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on his cloak.
Upon seeing the image, the bishop agreed to build the church and as a result millions of indigenous Mexican people converted to Catholicism.
Juan Diego was beatified more than 400 years later by Pope John Paul II. His original tilma - still bearing the Marian image - is said to remain in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, the destination of countless Catholic pilgrimages.
To make the image more accessible to Catholics around the world, church authorities have sanctioned digital reproduction of a limited number of images of Our Lady of Guadalupe to be distributed to a number of countries. Each of these same-size reproductions have touched the original image housed in Mexico City.
Midland's Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and Shrine will serve as the permanent home for one of these images, the first in the United States.
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution to make the image more accessible to Catholics around the world, church authorities have sanctioned digital reproduction of a limited number of images of Our Lady of Guadalupe to be distributed to a number of countries. Each of these same-size reproductions have touched the original image housed in Mexico City.
Midland's Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and Shrine will serve as the permanent home for one of these images, the first in the United States. "What's really unique is it's a digital reproduction but it has touched the original image," said Bishop Michael Pfeifer of the Diocese of San Angelo. "It's something very special, we don't have anything like that here in the United States."
On Aug. 13, the image will arrive in Midland to be enthroned at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and Shrine, 1401 E. Garden Lane. Presentations about the image, by Jim Humpal of Oklahoma City, and Fernando Anchustegui of Mexico City, will be open to the public at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Aug. 14. Pfeifer will celebrate Mass and enthrone the image at 11 a.m. Aug. 15.
As the director of Fundación Vida y Misericordia (Life and Mercy) ministry in Mexico City, Anchustegui will accompany the image on its journey from Mexico to Midland. The ministry has placed images in several countries in South America and Africa, including Zambia at a mission started by Pfeifer in the 1980s.
Pfeifer spent years of his priesthood doing mission work in Mexico City and Oaxaca, Mexico. During that time he served as director of a school and Anchustegui was one of his students. When Pfeifer learned the San Angelo diocese, which also includes Midland and Ector counties, would be receiving the image, he proposed to enthrone it at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and Shrine in Midland.
"Since we have a shrine there where many people come, it's more accessible at that church," he said.
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution year on her Dec. 12 feast day, is excitedly awaiting the image's arrival.
"It amazes me how they already have her in their lives and so many people don't come to know her until they are adults," Gonzales said.
"I think she's coming here for a reason, it may be many reasons," she added. "She is a very big part of the Hispanic and Mexican cultures (and) I just see a lot of people coming to honor her." Church member Laura Hernandez said she feels privileged to have the image come to the church and remain in the shrine. Drawing on the parallels between West Texas and the desert landscape of Mexico where the image is said to have appeared to Juan Diego, she said she believes the image will bring about conversions and pilgrimages to Midland.
Both De Leon and Pfeifer also expect believers to travel to the Tall City to see the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
"The people's faith in coming to see her and touching the image will surely create miracles and healing, not necessarily physical healing, but spiritual and psychological healing," said De Leon.
"She will certainly make this shrine a place of healing and miracles."
By Megan Lea Buck
Assistant Lifestyle Editor
In 1531 a woman appeared to an Aztec farmer named Juan Diego near the Hill of Tepeyac in Mexico, according to Catholic beliefs. The woman, speaking in the farmer's native language, asked him to travel to nearby Mexico City to ask Spanish Bishop Fray Juan de Zumarraga for a church to be built near the hill.
Diego told de Zumarraga of his vision, but the bishop dismissed him. Discouraged, the farmer returned to the woman and pleaded with her to send someone else. She told the farmer she had chosen him and again asked him to go to the bishop. This time the bishop asked the farmer to return with a sign from the woman. Discouraged, the farmer returned home where he found his uncle had fallen ill. On his way to find a priest to attend to his dying uncle, Diego once again passed the Hill of Tepeyac and saw the woman.
She told him not to worry about his uncle as he already was healed, and instructed him to gather the flowers that were blooming on the hillside. The flowers were Castilian roses, native to the bishop's home in Spain. Diego gathered the roses and brought them to the woman who arranged them in his cloak, or tilma, and told him to visit the bishop once again. When Diego opened his cloak to show the roses to the bishop, the flowers fell to the floor, revealing the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on his cloak.
Upon seeing the image, the bishop agreed to build the church and as a result millions of indigenous Mexican people converted to Catholicism.
Juan Diego was beatified more than 400 years later by Pope John Paul II. His original tilma - still bearing the Marian image - is said to remain in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, the destination of countless Catholic pilgrimages.
To make the image more accessible to Catholics around the world, church authorities have sanctioned digital reproduction of a limited number of images of Our Lady of Guadalupe to be distributed to a number of countries. Each of these same-size reproductions have touched the original image housed in Mexico City.
Midland's Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and Shrine will serve as the permanent home for one of these images, the first in the United States.
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution to make the image more accessible to Catholics around the world, church authorities have sanctioned digital reproduction of a limited number of images of Our Lady of Guadalupe to be distributed to a number of countries. Each of these same-size reproductions have touched the original image housed in Mexico City.
Midland's Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and Shrine will serve as the permanent home for one of these images, the first in the United States. "What's really unique is it's a digital reproduction but it has touched the original image," said Bishop Michael Pfeifer of the Diocese of San Angelo. "It's something very special, we don't have anything like that here in the United States."
On Aug. 13, the image will arrive in Midland to be enthroned at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and Shrine, 1401 E. Garden Lane. Presentations about the image, by Jim Humpal of Oklahoma City, and Fernando Anchustegui of Mexico City, will be open to the public at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Aug. 14. Pfeifer will celebrate Mass and enthrone the image at 11 a.m. Aug. 15.
As the director of Fundación Vida y Misericordia (Life and Mercy) ministry in Mexico City, Anchustegui will accompany the image on its journey from Mexico to Midland. The ministry has placed images in several countries in South America and Africa, including Zambia at a mission started by Pfeifer in the 1980s.
Pfeifer spent years of his priesthood doing mission work in Mexico City and Oaxaca, Mexico. During that time he served as director of a school and Anchustegui was one of his students. When Pfeifer learned the San Angelo diocese, which also includes Midland and Ector counties, would be receiving the image, he proposed to enthrone it at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and Shrine in Midland.
"Since we have a shrine there where many people come, it's more accessible at that church," he said.
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution year on her Dec. 12 feast day, is excitedly awaiting the image's arrival.
"It amazes me how they already have her in their lives and so many people don't come to know her until they are adults," Gonzales said.
"I think she's coming here for a reason, it may be many reasons," she added. "She is a very big part of the Hispanic and Mexican cultures (and) I just see a lot of people coming to honor her." Church member Laura Hernandez said she feels privileged to have the image come to the church and remain in the shrine. Drawing on the parallels between West Texas and the desert landscape of Mexico where the image is said to have appeared to Juan Diego, she said she believes the image will bring about conversions and pilgrimages to Midland.
Both De Leon and Pfeifer also expect believers to travel to the Tall City to see the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
"The people's faith in coming to see her and touching the image will surely create miracles and healing, not necessarily physical healing, but spiritual and psychological healing," said De Leon.
"She will certainly make this shrine a place of healing and miracles."