About
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What is the
Guadalupe 500 Project?
In seven years, the world will celebrate the 500th anniversary of the appearance of Mary, “the Mother of the True God,” to St. Juan Diego. Of all the Marian apparitions throughout history, the visit of Our Lady of Guadalupe stands out for having birthed the evangelization of the New World, with nine million converts within a decade of her appearance. The apparition also stands out for the relic left behind, which greatly contributed to those conversions. That relic is the cloak of St. Juan Diego, who at Our Lady’s instruction gathered in it flowers to be presented to Mexico’s presiding bishop. When the cloak was opened before the bishop, as the flowers fell to the floor everyone was stunned to see on the cloak an image of Mary, clothed in the sun. Science cannot explain the image, or the fact that it has remained intact on a cactus cloth that should have disintegrated hundreds of years ago.
The decade of the 2020s leading up to the 500th anniversary, which coincides with the years of the jubilee that marks the millennial observation of the public ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, can very well be the decade of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Yet many Catholics are only vaguely aware, if at all, of the miraculous events of 490 years ago. The Guadalupe 500 Project will address that, and there has never been a better time to plant the seeds of hope and renewal.
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The Mission of the Guadalupe 500 Project: To help celebrate the decade of Guadalupe and spark the reconciliation, conversion and revival so needed in our nation and our world.
One segment of the Guadalupe 500 Project will be the launch of a veneration experience in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and then throughout the United States. The experience is provided by in-kind donations and will be free for those wishing to attend. Visitors will be able to register for an entry time free of cost. Register here.
Donate Here
Other Ways to Prepare for the 500th Anniversary: Guadalupe 500 Project will also work to place a replica of the cloak, or tilma, of St. Juan Diego bearing the image of Our Lady in as many parishes in the United States as possible. The prototype for the Guadalupe 500 Project is already in place at the St. James worship site of Divine Redeemer Parish in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. The supplier, Our Lady of Guadalupe Art LLC, (www.ourladyofguadalupe.us) is based in Texas and sources the tilma replicas in Mexico with a fair labor provider.The plan is to assemble a group of individuals who can help with the project and then we begin outreach to parishes throughout the United States. The parish sponsor can then seek approval from the parish pastor or administrator, and raise necessary funds to purchase the tilma replica, which is sold for about $200. The tilma can be hung on a wall or a retrofitted flag pole for minimal cost.
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