CV NEWS FEED // The Diocese of Orange, California, is hosting a Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of four Catholic-approved digital images of St. Juan Diego’s original tilma.
The Missionary Image’s tour runs from November 1 to 24. It starts at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove and ends at St. Vincent de Paul in Huntington Beach.
The Diocese reports that the Missionary Images, like the tilma, are associated with miracles. In the case of one of the four images, doctors heard a human heartbeat when they placed their stethoscope over Our Lady’s womb, which holds the Child Jesus.
The Diocese also reports that the Missionary Images are the only images of the tilma “created with the full control and approval of the Catholic Church.”
The Diocese will host two talks about the Missionary Image, at the Arboretum on the Christ Cathedral campus. On Monday, October 28, at 7 p.m., Father Juan Navarro will give a talk in Spanish titled “Una Señal Clara” (“A Clear Sign”). On Saturday, November 2, at 7 p.m., Father Robert Spitzer, S.J. will give a talk titled “Our Lady of Guadalupe: Science and the Tilma.”
Father Al Baca, episcopal vicar for the Diocese’s Office of Ecumenism and Inter-religion, which is sponsoring the tour, commented on the importance of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“The message of Our Lady of Guadalupe is powerful,” he said. “Back in 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared during a time of upheaval and division, of conflict between two different civilizations. She identified herself with the Indigenous through their dress, customs and language, Nahuatl. Her message was simple: ‘Am I not your mother?’”
Father Baca added, “Even today, Our Lady of Guadalupe brings peace, justice, comfort and unity to a world that finds itself often divided and in conflict. Especially for Catholics, her message is one that inspires as much as it challenges to be true children of her Son, Jesus Christ.”