Coming to an area near you: The Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe

    Throughout mid and late May seven Maine churches, from Houlton to Brewer, will be the site of visitations by the legendary Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the culmination of months of planning and preparation.
    This 4-foot by 6-foot photographic replica of the original image of Our Lady, which miraculously appeared on the Tilma (cloak) of a Mexican peasant, will make visitations in the Katahdin area at the following churches: May 27, St. Benedict’s, Benedicta, 9 a.m. Mass followed by an Holy Hour at 6 p.m.; May 28, St. Martin’s Church, Millinocket, 4 p.m. Mass; May 29, St. Peter’s church, East Millinocket, 9:30 a.m. Mass; and May 29, St. Martin’s Church, Millinocket, 3 p.m. Holy Hour. Those attending the Holy Hour will receive a detailed explanation regarding the Missionary Image, plus appropriate readings.
    Other Maine area churches included in the visitations include: May 20, St. Mary of the Visitation, Houlton, 6:30 p.m. Mass; St. Leo the Great, Howland, May 21, 4 p.m.; May 23, St. Teresa’s Church, Brewer, 6:30 p.m. Holy hour; May 26, St. Mary of Lourdes, Lincoln, 1-6 p.m.  The image will also visit Catholic schools in Bangor on the morning of May 24, followed in the afternoon by an appearance outside an abortion clinic in that city.
    During the visitation to the various churches, persons attending the service will have the opportunity to venerate the Missionary Image.
    The local visitations are being held under the auspices of the Knights of Columbus Council 680 of Millinocket and a visitation team made up of parishioners from Cluster 5.
    The image also will be present on Memorial Day, May 30, at the Millinocket Cemetery at 9 a.m., at the annual observance of Memorial Day and the annual Memorial Day Mass held there. In the event of rain, the Mass and image will be moved to St. Martin’s Church.
    As part of the Memorial Day service, in an impressive procession that is slated to start at 8 a.m., May 30, the Knights of Columbus Honor Guard will carry the image from St. Martin’s Church, along Penobscot Ave., down past Veterans’ Park onto Granite St., then to Medway Rd. and finally into the cemetery. Parishioners are encouraged to join the procession at any point in the journey.
    There is a long waiting list for churches and areas wishing to have visitations. It took up to four months for the local area to make it onto the list. Although the Missionary Image has traveled throughout the world, Our Lady of Guadalupe is referred to as the “Patron of the Americas”.
    The original Lady of Guadalupe icon (of which the Missionary Image is a photographic replica) is on display in the Basilica of Guadalupe, not far from Mexico City, Mexico.
    Our Lady of Guadalupe memorabilia, including books, booklets, rosary packages, medals, pins, DVDs, prayer cards, hats, and t-shirts, will be available for purchase at the various visitation sites. The proceeds from these sales helps to offset the traveling expenses associated with the visitations.
    Many Catholics are familiar with the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe and how she appeared to Mexican peasant Juan Diego on Dec. 9, 1531, 10 years after the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, a conquest that ended the Aztec’s worship of idols and ended the Aztecs’ inhuman practice of sacrificing 300 people daily to the Aztec gods, sacrifices that ultimately killed 20 percent of the children of Mexico.
    On that December day Diego was on his way to secure medical help for an uncle who appeared on the verge of dying when a vision appeared before him, that of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She told him to build a church exactly on the spot where they were standing. Eventually Diego went to the bishop and shared his vision and Our Lady of Guadalupe’s message, but was advised by the bishop that he, the bishop, needed proof.
    Diego returned to where the vision appeared, told Our Lady the bishop needed proof and was told by Our Lady to pick the roses that were growing behind him despite the fact it was winter. He did so, placing them in his tilma (burlap cloak). Diego returned to the bishop and said he had brought proof. When Diego opened his cloak roses spilled out from his tilma and they weren’t just any roses, there were Castilian roses. The bishop knew that those roses only grew back in his homeland in Spain. As amazing as that was, the real shocker was the beautiful image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that appeared on Diego’s tilma.
    In the image on Diego’s cloak, Our Lady is wearing a black sash. In those days and in that culture the sash indicated a woman was with child, in that case Jesus. Reportedly the Missionary image has played a role in abortion prevention.
    Persons interested in more detailed information regarding Our Lady of Guadalupe may visit the Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe web page: www.jkmi.com