NORRISTOWN — Bright lights, lines of cars, trucks and a gathering of people….anyone venturing into Norristown on the evening of Tuesday, Dec. 12 might be a bit confused and think New Year’s Eve came a few weeks early on Marshall Street.
It was a celebration, for sure, but not of the secular kind — it was a celebration of faith.
On Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, St. Patrick Church and the Norristown community took part in the annual celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in honor of the Blessed Mother.
With the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe leading decorated and adorned trucks, a procession began at St. Francis of Assisi Church on Marshall Street, and processed to St. Patrick Church at DeKalb and Chestnut streets. Upon arriving at St. Patrick Church a Mass was held in honor of the Blessed Mother.
The event is in observance of the miracle of Guadalupe. Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego in December of 1531 and she asked him to convince the Spanish Bishop to build a church on the spot where she appeared. The bishop was hesitant and not convinced of the appearance of Our Lady and at first ignored the indigenous man who had implored him to construct a church in her honor.
The bishop asked for a sign, a miracle from “the woman.” And that was the miracle of “la tilma,” which is an outer garment without sleeves to cover a person in the front and back which is pulled over one’s head. “The Lady” on December 12th asked Juan Diego to go up on a hill and find the sign. Juan Diego encountered roses blooming in winter. However, they were not just regular roses, but roses that are only grown in Spain, where the bishop had lived. Juan Diego picked up the roses in his “tilma” and proceeded on a long walk to the bishop’s residence. Upon arriving, Juan Diego threw open his “tilma” and the bishop and he found on his garment a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The miracle is that this garment is still intact today. It is made of cactus fibers and therefore should have only lasted for about 30 years.
In 1977 the tilma was examined by scientists using infrared photography and digital enhancement techniques. Their findings were inconclusive since the method of painting in the image is still unknown. In fact, the painting of La Guadalupe is inexplicable. The paint and colors cannot be explained. The picture is imprinted on a poor-quality cactus-cloth, that should have deteriorated within 20 years, but it shows no sign of decay 484 years later. The painting still defies all scientific explanations of its origin. Recently, ophthalmologists have studied the image’s eyes and have come to the conclusion that they reflect what was in front of her in 1531 — a bishop and a gentleman with a cloth and flowers.
The tilma’s image has layers of meanings for all of us. Our Lady’s earth-colored dress covered by a blue mantle show the meeting between the earth and heaven. The sash around her waist signifies that she is pregnant. The stars on her mantle are the same constellations that had occurred in 1531. Her darkened skin color represent the indigenous people of Mexico and her stance with a lowered head and folded hands show her reverence to God. After her appearance millions of indigenous persons were converted to Catholicism.
It must be clarified that Our Lady of Guadalupe is not just a Mexican phenomenon — she is crowned by Saint John Paul II as “The Empress of all of the Americas.” She is the Mother of God and the Mother of all persons in the Americas: North, South, Central; from the Arctic Circle to Patagonia. Many miracles have been attributed to Our Lady of Guadalupe starting with the curing of Juan Diego’s uncle in 1531 during the appearance of Our Lady in Mexico.
Cheryl Kehoe Rodgers of MediaNews Group contributed to this article.
