Over the past week, October 26th-31st, Holy Name Convent was blessed to host the commissioned replica of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Marian Hall.
On Monday 26th October, 2026, Sr. Patrice Forde of our religion department captivated the school while sharing the origin story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Students, teachers, staff and members of the Holy Name community were encouraged to write petitions, leave lit candles at the foot of the painting and to pray in the presence of the replicated tilma.
The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe begins in Mexico during the 16th century when the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a peasant, Juan Diego. Juan was a humble middle-aged man who had converted from the ways of the Aztec people to that of Roman Catholicism. Upon venturing over Tepeyac Hill, he was blinded by a glowing light. After further investigation, he found that the Blessed Virgin had appeared before him, requesting that he go to the Archbishop and have him build a shrine in that very spot, the ruins of an Aztec temple. Juan hurried to the Archbishop, who did not believe him and requested proof. He returned to the Virgin Mary. She told him to go out and gather flowers, keep them in your tilma, a large cloak, and carry them to the Archbishop.
Hurriedly, Juan searched through the winter snow and was surprised to find an abundance of a flower he’d never seen before. He gathered them and sought the archbishop. When he dropped the flowers to the floor, the archbishop recognised them as Castilian roses, a rare flower that does not grow in Mexico, but even more surprisingly, an image of the Blessed Virgin appeared on Juan’s tilma. A miracle for all. A shrine was built where Our Lady requested, and as she asked Juan, she was named “Santa Maria de Guadalupe”, Saint Mary of Guadalupe.
This tilma is a symbol of our Holy Mother’s love for us. Blessed Mary could have chosen anyone to appear to. The Archbishop himself, even, yet she chose a simple peasant who was not a traditional, born Catholic but instead a convert who had worshipped Aztec gods in the past. She chose him. Her abundance of love is so limitless that even in Juan’s weakest moment, when he doubted if he was enough, she told him that he was chosen with a purpose and that he was exactly who she needed.
When his uncle was on his deathbed, and he attempted to avoid her again in fear that she would delay him, she reminded him, “Are you not my son? Am I not your mother? Do I not have you under my wing, my protection? And upon giving him his final job, a task of which he hurried to do, his uncle was healed; the Archbishop believed him and his job was completed; her shrine was built, a place where she could hear the petitions of her children and carry them to her son, Jesus.
In the image on St. Juan Diego’s tilma, Mary appears to be standing on a crescent moon while praying with her eyes pointed upwards. A symbol that is used to represent that she is bigger than any Aztec god while not being one herself, but instead praying to the one true God, Jesus Christ. In her eyes is the reflection of light and the exact image of the Archbishop, something that cannot be painted. Around her stomach is the signature ribbon meant to represent that she is pregnant with Christ Jesus. On her shawl are the stars with the exact star location of where she stood on Tepeyac Hill. The stars shining around her body get brighter around her womb. It is not that there are only stars around her womb but rather her entire body, a symbol that she herself is pure and born without sin.
As Roman Catholics, we do not worship Mary. In fact, it’s quite the opposite; we deeply admire her. To worship is to idolise, and to idolise is to sacrifice. With the Virgin Mary, we ask her to carry our prayers to the feet of her son, Jesus Christ. As we remember how relentless her faith was in God’s plan and how much Christ loved his mother in the turning of water into wine at the wedding at Cana, though he knew it was not yet his time, we similarly ask that she carry our prayers to Him.
The Virgin Mary is our mother, the nurturing, ever-present queen of heaven. Not a vessel or means to an end to bring Jesus into the world, but the Mother of God. A title so Holy and pure that it encourages us to be more willing to bend to God’s plan. To pick up our cross and dedicate our lives to being beacons of the light of Jesus Christ.
For many, the past week was one of retreat, where time was spent reflecting and in silent prayer.
Written by: Veronica Mc Donald