One morning, Juan Diego, a poor Mexican peasant, was headed to Mass. He heard a voice from the top of Tepeyac Hill, which is three miles northwest of the modern Mexico City. When he reached the hilltop, he saw a beautiful woman who told him she was the Virgin Mary. She sent him to Bishop de Zumarraga with the message that a shrine should be built where she stood.

Juan Diego spent two days trying to convince the bishop to build the shrine with no success. The bishop told Juan Diego that he needed a sign that it really was the Virgin Mary who had sent him. Two days later, when he was looking for a priest to help his ill uncle, Juan Diego was called again by the Virgin. The Virgin told him not to worry, for his uncle had been cured. Juan Diego then asked her for a sign that he should take back to the bishop. Upon the Lady's instruction, Juan Diego gathered roses from the barren hilltop, wrapped them in his tilma (a long cloak or poncho) and took them to Bishop Zumarraga. When Juan Diego opened his tilma, the roses fell to the floor and revealed a glowing life-sized portrait of the Virgin Mary. The bishop was amazed and soon built a shrine to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Since then, pilgrimages have been made to the shrine. Numerous renovations have been made to the area. A new basilica was constructed in the original plaza in 1976. Today, the centuries-old cloak with image of the Virgin can be viewed from a moving ramp inside the church. The Shrine now consists of the Old Basilica, the New Basilica, the Museum of Religious Art, the Church of Las Capuchinas, the Old Parish, the Chapel of El Pocito and the Chapel of the Hill.

Approximately 20 million people from around the world visit the Virgin's shrine each year, making it the most popular Catholic sanctuary in the world after the Vatican. Pilgrims reach the shrine in many different ways, with some walking long distances and many making their journey on their knees to show their devotion.

Every year, a few minutes before midnight on the December 12, the pilgrims sang maņanitas - a Mexican song that is used to receive a special day - to the Virgin, greeting her for her new anniversary and also expressing their gratefulness for her intercession.

In 1999, Pope John Paul II declared Our Lady of Guadalupe to be the Queen of Mexico and the Patroness of America - North, South and Central, as well as the Caribbean, in his pastoral letter, Ecclesia in America. The pope emphasized that all America is one land and one people, and that our unity far outweighs any differences among us. Pope John Paul II visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1979 during his first papal trip.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is cause for great celebration to Latin Americans. She symbolizes hope and the sign of God's presence in their lives, even amidst great struggle. She stands against poverty, injustice, discrimination, and signifies respect and love for all people.

Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan has recorded a special message for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is available at this link.