Between December 9 and 12, 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared on the hill of Tepeyac, north of Mexico City, to St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, an Indigenous convert, and left her image on his cloak, his tilma.
- Her feast: December 12, a feast across the Americas.
- St. Juan Diego's day: December 9.
- The Rosary novena: one Rosary a day from December 3 to 11, leading up to the feast.
What happened at Tepeyac in 1531?
On December 9, 1531, Juan Diego was walking to Mass when the Virgin appeared to him on Tepeyac Hill. She asked that a church be built on the spot, and he took her request to the bishop, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, who did not believe him and asked for a sign (Vatican biography; Vatican City State).
On December 12 she sent him to the top of the hill to gather flowers. It was winter, but he found roses in bloom. He carried them to the bishop folded in his tilma, and when he opened it the flowers fell to the floor, and her image was there on the cloth.
The image shows a young woman with native features and dress, supported by an angel, the moon beneath her feet and a blue mantle covered with golden stars. She wears a black sash, the sign that she is with child. The oldest account of the apparitions, the Nican Mopohua, was written in Nahuatl, Juan Diego's own language, by Antonio Valeriano in 1556 (Vatican biography).
Who was St. Juan Diego?
Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin was born in 1474 in Cuautlitlán, today part of Mexico City, and died in 1548. He was buried in the first chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe. John Paul II beatified him in 1990 and canonized him in Mexico City on July 31, 2002, calling him "the simple, humble Indian who contemplated the sweet and serene face of Our Lady of Tepeyac" (canonization homily). His day is December 9, an optional memorial in the United States (Catholic Culture); in 2026 it falls on a Wednesday.
When is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe?
December 12, the day of the roses. In 1999, John Paul II welcomed the request of the bishops of the Americas that her feast, as Mother and Evangelizer of America, be celebrated throughout the continent on that day, and the Church invokes her as Patroness of all America (Ecclesia in America §11). In the United States it is a feast; in 2026 it falls on Saturday, December 12. It is not a holy day of obligation in the United States (USCCB).
A Rosary novena to Our Lady of GuadalupeDecember 3 to 11, 2026
Pray one Rosary a day for nine days, ending on the eve of the feast. Begin with the day's intention, pray the day's mysteries, and close with the invocation below.
Day 1, Thursday, December 3
For all the peoples of the Americas, north and south: one family under one Mother. Luminous Mysteries.
Day 2, Friday, December 4
For the poor and the overlooked, the kind of messenger she chose. Sorrowful Mysteries.
Day 3, Saturday, December 5
For mothers and for the unborn: she came to Tepeyac carrying her Son. Joyful Mysteries.
Day 4, Sunday, December 6: Second Sunday of Advent
For migrants, and for families kept apart by borders and distance. Joyful Mysteries.
Day 5, Monday, December 7
For the sick, and for everyone who cares for them. Joyful Mysteries.
Day 6, Tuesday, December 8: the Immaculate Conception
On the patronal feast of the United States: for our country, entrusted to Mary under that title. Sorrowful Mysteries.
Day 7, Wednesday, December 9: St. Juan Diego
For humility like Juan Diego's, who went back to the bishop after he was not believed. Glorious Mysteries.
Day 8, Thursday, December 10
For bishops and priests, and for everyone who carries a message they did not choose. Luminous Mysteries.
Day 9, Friday, December 11
For our own families and parishes, that we may make room for her Son this Christmas. Sorrowful Mysteries.
After the Hail Holy Queen each day, close with this invocation, and the Memorare if you like:
V. Our Lady of Guadalupe,
R. pray for us.
V. St. Juan Diego,
R. pray for us.
Praying the novena with others
Families often pray the Guadalupe novena together, and a family spread across cities can still pray it at one hour: each evening one person opens a Group Rosary on Orabimus and the others join from their own phones, each reading and hearing the prayers in English or Spanish.
Anyone with a free account can open a Group Rosary at any hour, or join a public one that is praying.
Pray today's Rosary.
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Questions about Our Lady of Guadalupe
When is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 2026?
Saturday, December 12, 2026. Her Rosary novena runs from Thursday, December 3 to Friday, December 11.
Is December 12 a holy day of obligation?
Not in the United States, where it is a feast. Many parishes celebrate it with special Masses all the same.
When is St. Juan Diego's feast day?
December 9, the day of the first apparition in 1531. In 2026 it falls on Wednesday, December 9.
Why is she called Patroness of the Americas?
She appeared in the Americas, to one of its native peoples, at the start of the faith there. John Paul II asked that her feast be kept throughout the continent, and the Church invokes her as Patroness of all America.
See also: The Rosary in Advent · Immaculate Conception novena · Joyful Mysteries · The Visitation · The Memorare
Sources: Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (Vatican) · John Paul II, canonization homily (2002) · Our Lady of Guadalupe (Vatican City State) · Ecclesia in America §11 (1999) · St. Juan Diego, December 9 (Catholic Culture) · USCCB, Holy Days of Obligation