About Guadalupe:

Regarded as the most sacred site in the Western Hemisphere, the Shrine of Guadalupe was where St. John Paul II delivered his sermons to millions of devotees during his 1979 pilgrimage to Mexico. The Basilica pays tribute to the Virgin Mary, commemorating her divine manifestation to a humble indigenous man and fulfilling her wish to have a Shrine erected in her honor. In the chill of December 1531, Juan Diego conveyed his vision of Mary to a doubtful bishop. A few days after, he revisited the location of his encounter, where Mary once again materialized before him. When the humble Juan informed her of the bishop's demand for evidence of her apparition, she guided him to collect roses from the frosty, rocky landscape to present to the bishop. Despite the cold season, he astonishingly found an abundance of roses scattered across the terrain. Wrapping the roses in a simple sackcloth, he hastened to present them to the bishop. However, as he unfolded the cloak to reveal the roses, the cleric was astounded not just by the blooms. Imprinted on the simple fabric was an image of the Virgin herself! That same miraculous image, in all its splendid glory, is still on display above the main altar for everyone to witness.