Walking with Mary: Our Lady of Guadalupe

Apparitions of the Blessed Mother, particularly the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe, assure Leigh Ann Roman of Mary’s faithful love.

The apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary remind me of the constancy of a mother’s love — always reaching out to her children to guide and protect them. No apparition made a greater impact than Our Lady of Guadalupe, whom we celebrate on December 12. Within a decade of Mary’s appearance to Juan Diego in 1531, nine million Mexicans had converted to Catholicism. 

The Apparition that Changed a Nation 

When Juan Diego was walking to Mass one day in 1531, he saw a woman on Tepeyac hill. She spoke to him in his native language — Nahuatl — and told him to visit Bishop Juan de Zumarraga and ask that he construct a church on that hill. The bishop asked for a sign to prove the Blessed Mother was really the one making the request. Days later, the Virgin again appeared to Juan Diego, telling him to gather roses that had miraculously bloomed in winter on the hillside. When Juan Diego unfolded his cloak to show the roses to the bishop, an image of the Virgin Mary was revealed imprinted on the fabric. 

This image remains intact today in the Basilica of Santa Maria de Guadalupe in Mexico City. It is an image of a mestizo woman who is pregnant. Mestizo refers to a person of both Indigenous and Spanish descent. She also appears to be a person of great power, shown with the moon at her feet and a mantle covered with stars. 

Through the storytelling tradition of the Nahuatl, the vision of this image was passed throughout the community, drawing people toward the love, beauty, and compassion of the Mother of God — a Blessed Mother who looked like them and spoke to Juan Diego, an Indigenous man, from her heart, saying: 

“I desire a church in this place where your people may experience my compassion. All those who sincerely ask for my help in their work and in their sorrows will know their mother is near this place. Here I will see their fears and I will console men, and they will be at peace. Know for certain that I am the perfect and ever Virgin Mary, Mother of the true God. . . Here I will show and offer all my love, my compassion, my help, and protection.” (Catholic Insight, Dec. 16, 2024)   

A Mother’s Presence 

These are such words of comfort and reminders that we, as Christians, are her children as well as God’s children and are never alone. The Blessed Mother’s persistence in coming to her children assures us of her love and reminds those of us who are mothers that we should always reach out to our children to show them our love and compassion.  

Sixteen Marian apparitions are recognized by the Vatican, and nine more have been approved for devotion by the Catholic Church, according to “The Ultimate Guide to Marian Apparitions” by Shelby Mayor. The very persistence of her presence should remind us all that we are truly loved and valued by Jesus and His Mother. Our Lord comes to us in every Eucharist, and Mary reaches out to believers and unbelievers alike to continue to share her message of love, prayer, and penance.  

As Saint John Paul II said at Juan Diego’s canonization:

In accepting the Christian message without forgoing his indigenous identity, Juan Diego discovered the profound truth of the new humanity, in which all are called to be children of God. (Homily of Pope John Paul II, July 31, 2002) 

On the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, let us be intentional about celebrating the loving Mother who seeks out the most vulnerable to share her message of love and sacrifice. And may we emulate her in consistent and compassionate outreach to share the Good News. 

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Copyright 2025 Leigh Ann Roman
Images: Canva

This column first appeared in the November/December issue of Faith West Tennessee, the magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis, TN.