Back in August, we traveled to Mexico City together — a trip that left both of us undone in the best way. So in honor of her feast, today we’re talking about Our Lady of Guadalupe, the story behind her apparitions, and what she means for us as Catholic women… especially as single women discerning, building, waiting, and hoping in real time.

A Quick Summary of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe:

When: December 9–12, 1531
Where: Tepeyac Hill, near Mexico City
Who: St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin & his uncle, Juan Bernardino
How many apparitions: Five total — four to Juan Diego, one to Juan Bernardino

✨ First Apparition — Dec. 9Mary appears to Juan Diego in radiant clothing, speaking Nahuatl, asking for a church to be built where she can show her love and mercy.

✨ Second Apparition — Dec. 9 (later)Juan Diego returns after being doubted by the bishop. Mary encourages him and asks him to try again.

✨ Third Apparition — Dec. 10Mary promises a sign the bishop will believe.

✨ Pause — Dec. 11–12Juan Diego stays home to care for his dying uncle.

✨ Fourth Apparition — Dec. 12 (early morning)Mary intercepts Juan Diego on a different path.Her words: “Do not be afraid. Am I not here, I who am your Mother?”She instructs him to gather miraculous Castilian roses blooming on the barren hill.

✨ Fifth Apparition — Dec. 12Mary appears to Juan Bernardino, heals him, and gives her name: “Santa María de Guadalupe.”

✨ The Miracle of the TilmaJuan Diego opens his tilma before the bishop; the roses spill to the floor and the iconic image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appears.

A church is built. Devotion spreads across the Americas.

We share what it was actually like to go see her:

• Stopping at Mercado Jamaica to pick out flowers to bring her
• Spending the entire day on the grounds of the Shrine
• The unexpected moments that struck us most
• How being there shifted something interiorly — for both of us, in different ways

Mary meets us in the “in-between” spaces — the quiet seasons, the hidden seasons, the transitions we didn’t choose but are trying to trust our way through.

Her message is profoundly personal:

• God sees you
• God chooses you
• Your life has purpose even when it feels still or unclear
• You are not alone in discerning your vocation, your calling, or your next step

Her words to Juan Diego echo into our own lives:“Am I not here, I, who am your Mother?”

This episode is an invitation to let those words land.

Bring one intention to Our Lady of Guadalupe on her feast day.Something small or something impossible — she holds both with tenderness.

Let Mary mother you — especially in this season of your life.

If you'd like to learn more about the miracles related to the tilma: https://www.kenmaymd.com/blog-1/miracles-part1

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