Catholic Heroes . . . St. Juan Diego
By CAROLE BRESLIN
When a saint is formally canonized, it is not unusual for the reigning Pontiff to travel to the saint’s native land for his or her canonization. In 1984 Pope John Paul II visited Seoul, Korea, to canonize the 103 Korean martyrs. He visited Krakow, Poland, when he canonized Jadwiga of Poland on June 8, 1997. In 2002, he traveled to Mexico City on July 31 to canonize St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin upon whose tilma is the picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The appearance of our Lady in the very center of the Western Hemisphere converted millions of natives to Catholicism. In 1492, before the arrival of Columbus, there were no Catholics. Twenty-five years later the Protestant Reformation began in Europe with the disobedience of Martin Luther.
On the other side of the Earth, the Spaniards invaded the Aztec empire — one which practiced brutal human sacrifices — in 1519. In 1524 more Franciscans arrived in Mexico City to set up missions for the natives. One of the first converts was Cuauhtlatoatzin, meaning “the talking eagle.” In the same year, he was baptized by Fr. Peter da Gand and took the Christian name Juan Diego.
Juan was known for being a very spiritual person from the time of his youth. Even before his Baptism he spent time each day in quiet reflection. Baptized at the age of 50, he still walked many hours each day to attend religious instruction classes and Mass.
At some point Juan married Maria Lucia. The two lived a chaste and holy life together. Some historians believe that after Baptism they lived a celibate life together. One historical account claims that his wife died two years before the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe while another asserts that she died two years after the apparitions.
In 1531, Juan, a farmer and weaver, lived with and cared for his aging uncle, still walking 15 miles a day to attend Mass and visit the church. On December 9, 1531, Juan Diego once again began walking to the city to go to Mass. On his way, on the top of Tepeyac hill, the Blessed Virgin Mary asked him to come and climb to the top of the hill.
Like many other apparitions, such as Fatima and Lourdes, our Lady chose the lowly and marginalized to carry out her wishes. Juan was a humble man, neither rich nor poor, but quiet and unassuming. To this gentle man, she made her request for the peoples of the New World.
She told Juan Diego that she wanted him to go to the bishop and request that a shrine be built in her name at Tepeyac. Then, “I will pour out my grace upon those who invoke me.”
Obediently, Juan Diego went to the bishop. His poor appearance resulted in a long wait before he was allowed to address Bishop Juan de Zumarraga. Not surprisingly, the bishop found such a request hard to believe.
Of course, the Church must have confirmation that such requests and apparitions are indeed miraculous and not pious imagination. Hence, Bishop Zumarraga told Juan that he must have time to consider his request.
Juan believed he had failed his mission. When the Blessed Virgin appeared to him once again on his way home that same day, he told her that he was a “back-frame, a tail, a wing,” in short, “a man of no importance.” He begged her to find someone who had better stature and would do a better job of talking to the bishop.
Our Lady insisted that she wanted Juan to go back to the bishop and again convey her request to Bishop Zumarraga. Once again he returned to Mexico City and repeated her message on Sunday, December 10 when the bishop was more agreeable. This time the bishop asked Juan Diego to tell the lady that he needed a sign that the apparition was truly from Heaven. On December 10, when Juan was returning to his uncle, he again saw Mary and told her that the bishop had requested a sign. She agreed to give him a sign the very next day on December 11.
However, Juan’s uncle, Juan Bernardino, fell ill. Fearing for his uncle’s death, Juan Diego decided he must return to the church once again to get a priest for his uncle. He also decided, since he was in a hurry to get a priest before his uncle died and ashamed that the bishop still had not acceded to Mary’s request, that he would go to the city by a different route and avoid Tepeyac Hill.
On December 12 as he made his journey around the other side of the hill, Mary intercepted him, “Where are you going?” When he explained that his uncle was dying and that he had once again failed her request, she gently rebuked him saying, “Am I not here, I who am your mother?”
She informed Juan that his uncle was cured. She then told him to climb the hill, a barren hill, and collect the flowers that were growing there. Juan did as she ordered, collecting beautiful Castilian roses, not seen in that area or during that season before. He wrapped the flowers in his tilma, a cloak made of rough cactus fibers.
When the poor farmer reached the bishop and once again begged admittance, they reluctantly let him into the office, noticing the bundle he was carrying. He told the bishop what had happened and when he opened his cloak, the men were not only stunned at the beautiful roses, but much more important, they were shocked at the beautiful image of Our Lady of Guadalupe imprinted on his tilma.
The shrine was built on Tepeyac hill. Within a few years millions of the native people were baptized. Over the centuries pilgrims have come from around the world to visit the shrine. In fact, it receives more pilgrims than any other shrine in the world with over 22 million visitors in 2010.
Juan Diego spent the rest of his life living in a tiny shack at the foot of the hill where the shrine was built. He tended to the shrine as well as to the needs of the pilgrims. He died in 1548. His feast day is December 9 and December 12 is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Although Juan Diego is the first saint of the Americas, he was not canonized until July 31, 2002 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City by St. Pope John Paul II. The tilma now hangs in a new basilica at the foot of Tepeyac hill, having survived bombings and challenges to its authenticity.
The image continues to gain popularity around the world. A sister shrine, the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wis., enjoys the benefits of pilgrimages for those who are unable to go to the shrine in Mexico.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Star of the New Evangelization, pray for us. Amen.
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(Carole Breslin home-schooled her four daughters and served as treasurer of the Michigan Catholic Home Educators for eight years. For over ten years, she was national coordinator for the Marian Catechists, founded by Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ.)
