STARTING ON NOV. 1, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange will be hosting a tour of the Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a historic apparition of the Virgin Mary that is deeply symbolic and significant to Southern California’s Catholic faithful, particularly those of Hispanic heritage.
The Missionary Image is a Catholic Church-authorized digital image of the original Guadalupe tilma image, which dates to 1531 and is above the main altar at the Basilica Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Like the tilma, the Missionary Image has been associated with miraculous phenomena, such as doctors hearing a human heartbeat where the Virgin Mary carries the Christ Child and reports of oil dripping from the Image.
The Missionary Image tour begins on Nov. 1 at Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove and lasts through Nov. 24. The public is invited to venerate the Image at host parishes and sites throughout the Diocese of Orange. For a complete list of sites hosting the image, visit www.rcbo.org/tilma
While there are many pictures in circulation and routinely taken of the tilma in Mexico City, the touring Missionary Image is the only one with a Catholic Church-recognized title, mission and certification. Diocese of Orange leaders hope that veneration and viewing of the Image will encourage a new era of evangelization, Catholic conversion and create a culture of life and civilization of love.
“The message of Our Lady of Guadalupe is powerful,” said the Very Reverend Al Baca, episcopal vicar for the Diocese’s Office of Ecumenism and Inter-religion, which is sponsoring the tour. “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?’”
“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.”
In 1999, a high-resolution digital image was made from the original tilma. Four Missionary Images were made from the digital image. These Missionary Images are 4 feet by 6 feet, which is the exact size of the original miraculous image on the tilma. The rector of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Monsignor Diego Monroy, blessed each of the four Missionary Images. One of these Images will be in the Diocese of Orange for veneration.
The four Missionary Images are the only Images that were created with the full control and approval of the Catholic Church. The Diocese of Orange will host two educational presentations about the Missionary Image. Fr. Juan Navarro will give a talk in Spanish, titled “Una Señal Clara” (in English, “A Clear Sign”), on Monday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. in the Arboretum on the Christ Cathedral campus. The second presentation, titled “Our Lady of Guadalupe: Science and the Tilma” will be given by Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. also in the Arboretum. Both talks are free and open to the public.