On December 12, 1531, our Blessed Mother appeared to a 57-year old peasant named Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac, Mexico. She left her miraculous image on his tilma or cloak and said to him:
“Listen, and let it penetrate your heart. … Do not fear any illness or vexation, anguish or pain. Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life? Are you not in the folds of my mantle? In the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else you need?”
Five centuries later and 1,830 miles away, we too can be in the presence of our Blessed Mother when we visit the Chapel of the Relic of the Tilma of Saint Juan Diego at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Consecrated on September 2, 2012, this beautiful chapel is home to the only known fragment in the United States of the cloth which the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe miraculously appeared on that winter in Tepeyac.
According to Archdiocese records, the fragment’s presence in Los Angeles dates to 1941 when Archbishop John Cantwell led a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The visit eased then-current tensions between the Church and State in Mexico. The Archbishop of Mexico City, Most Reverend Luís María Martinez y Rodriguez, was so grateful for the visit that he sent a relic of St. Juan Diego’s tilma to Archbishop Cantwell.
The piece of the tilma is encased in a reliquary that also contains relics of St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Borgia, and St. Teresa of Avila.
Considering that the tilma is made of natural agave fibers, the cloth should have disintegrated within 20-60 years. However, it has remained remarkably intact for over 490 years without any special preservation. This longevity is miraculous as the material is known to be fragile and prone to decay.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, be our Mother, protect us and hold us in your loving arms. May we come to you, listen to your words and let them penetrate into our hearts. Help us draw closer to Your Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ and do not let us fear any illness or vexation, anguish or pain.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Borgia, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Thomas More, pray for us.
