The Queen of the Americas Guild held it's annual pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe from February 26 to March 3, 2009, attended by our largest ever group of pilgrims. As National Coordinator of the Guild, I was pleased to join the group for the sixth time.

We were joined by a lively group of over 35 pilgrims from all over the United States, Canada, and as far away as the United Kingdom! We were also happy to see two couples who had joined us just last year return for their second pilgrimage. Once Our Lady touches you, she has a way of calling you back.

After a welcome dinner Thursday evening, which included a visit by Bishop Madera, the pilgrimage was off to a busy start on Friday morning. Bishop Madera, Auxiliary of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, U.S.A., emeritus, shared an inspirational and informative talk about the symbolism of Our Lady's Tilma. Through words and pictures, the group was led to a greater understanding of the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The group then left for the highlight of the trip, to meet Our Lady at her shrine. Like many pilgrims, we processed up the avenue leading to the Basilica while carrying a large floral offering to Our Lady. Bishop Madera met us outside in the plaza, posed for a lovely group photograph, then welcomed us all into the Basilica. As we made our way up the center aisle with Our Lady's image before us, we were moved by the experience of finally being near the one true self-portrait of the Blessed Mother. After Bishop Madera had celebrated a lovely bi-lingual Mass, our pilgrims headed out with a renewed appreciation for Our Lady's miracle.

After Mass, pilgrims were led on a comprehensive tour of the Basilica area, which began with a short walk up the first steps of Tepeyac hill to view the property owned by the Guild. The group was informed of the work the Guild is doing to fulfill the wishes of Guild founder, Bishop Jerome Hastrich, to build a retreat center near Our Lady's image that will be a safe place for pilgrims to gather, stay, and be close to Our Lady.

The Basilica area tour continued with a visit to the Guadalupe Museum, which houses hundreds of beautiful paintings and sculptures, most of which depict Our Lady in her many different apparitions. Although several of the older churches are closed for renovations, pilgrims enjoyed the beautiful sunny day with a complete tour of the Basilica grounds. Pilgrims were then left with free time to re-visit favorite places, or to make the journey up Tepeyac Hill to visit the Chapel of the Roses, built on the spot where Our Lady first appeared to St. Juan Diego.

Before returning to our hotel, we visited another important place in the story in Our Lady's Miracle, the Plaza of the Three Cultures. In this plaza is found the Church of Santiago de Tlalteloco, where St. Juan Diego was baptized, and where he was headed when Our Lady appeared to him. His baptismal font can still be seen here.

After a full day immersed in the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe, pilgrims returned to the hotel tired, but thoroughly content with what they had learned, experienced, and most of all, felt by being in Our Lady's presence.

The next day began with a drive toward the colonial city of Puebla, located approximately 75 miles Southeast of Mexico City. On the way, pilgrims were treated to beautiful views of Mexico's countryside and mountains, including the nearby active volcano, Popocatepetl. Once in Puebla, we made our way to Santo Domingo church with its magnificent Rosary Chapel. This chapel, completed in 1690, is entirely covered in ornate gold leaf, tiles, and fine woodcarvings, and is one of the finest examples of Baroque style in all of Mexico. From there we moved on to the church of San Francisco where we learned the story of Blessed Sebastian de la Aparicio and viewed his incorrupt body.

The day's Mass was celebrated by Bishop Madera at the beautiful Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, where members of our group were able to participate by doing the Mass readings. .After Mass, we were allowed a tour of the sacristy, and a tiny hidden octagonal shaped chapel, with walls virtually covered in gold leaf and beautiful paintings. his tiny chapel, hidden for centuries, is not open to the general public. Again, the honor of having Bishop Madera with our group allowed us this very special privilege.

After a delicious and festive lunch at a nearby restaurant, we began our journey back to Mexico City, with two stops along the way. The first stop was in the charming town of Tlaxcala, where we visited the Church of San Miguel del Milagro. The Blessed Virgin appeared here to Juan Diego Bernardino and directed him to an unknown spring, flowing with miraculous curative waters. Here our pilgrims were able to gather water directly from the well.

Next on the agenda was the nearby town of Ocotlan, with it's beautiful Basilica. Our Lady again presented herself to Juan Diego Bernardino here, leaving behind her image burned into the trunk of an oak tree. This image is carefully preserved on the altar in this lovely church. Again, tired but fulfilled, our group returned to Mexico City for dinner and relaxation.

On Sunday morning, the group headed to Tulpetlac, site of the fifth apparition of Our Lady. Here we had Mass at the simple shrine built to commemorate Our Lady's appearance to Juan Bernadino, St. Juan Diego's uncle. The Mass' music was performed by a talented group of Mariachis, whose beautiful harmonies were a wonderful addition to the sacred music. Bishop Madera again celebrated the Mass, with some of our pilgrims doing the readings. Afterwards, pilgrims were able to purchase religious keepsakes from the shrine's gift shop. Later, many pilgrims remarked how they were moved to tears during this beautiful Mass; this site is truly special and Our Lady's presence can always be deeply felt here.

After lunch, we took advantage of our hotel's central location to take a walking tour of some of the Centro Historico district. We visited the National Palace, home to many stunning Diego Rivera murals, and learned the historic significance of the images portrayed in them. We continued on to the Templo Mayor archeological site, to view the remains of what was once one of the main Aztec temples in their capital city of Tenochtitlan. The excavation of this site was only fully begun in 1976, yet has revealed a massive temple area, along with thousands of artifacts. Many of these finds are displayed in the modern Templo Mayor museum, which we also enjoyed as part of our tour.

The afternoon's touring concluded with a stop at the Metropolitan Cathedral, which houses the tomb of Bishop Juan de Zumarraga, the Bishop to whom St. Juan Diego revealed Our Lady's image. After another enjoyable dinner in the company of our new friends, some pilgrims chose to enjoy an evening out at the famous Ballet Folklorico, a study of traditional Mexican folk dances.

Monday morning's activities began with a visit to the charming neighborhood of Coyoacan. Here Bishop Madera celebrated Mass in the chapel at the Convent of the Holy Cross, whose sisters are affiliated with his order, the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit. As always, the sisters were most welcoming and gracious, and especially happy to see Bishop Madera. His Excellency enthusiastically shared the story of Venerable Conchita, whose works inspired the foundation of both the Sisters of the Cross of the Sacred Heart and the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit. A short distance away, we visited San Jose El Altillo church to view the tomb of Conchita, along with the church's beautiful stained glass window depicting the Holy Spirit. Bishop Madera had attended seminary here for a time, and his close connection with both the Sisters and the entire Coyoacan area translated into a most joyous visit for the pilgrims.

This afternoon, after a brief stop for shopping, our group headed back to the Basilica to say goodbye to Our Lady and to thank her for the many graces she had bestowed during our pilgrimage. Free time was spent in prayerful contemplation, shopping, or for the adventurous, in a climb up Tepeyac Hill. At this point, our journey was complete; we had traveled the footsteps of St. Juan Diego, and were left with a new understanding of Our Lady's miracle.

That evening, the group gathered for the last time for our farewell dinner. There was lively conversation between new friends, and all agreed that the pilgrimage had been a most rewarding experience. Our Lady had brought us together, and we had shared in her miracle.

Rebecca Nichols
March, 2009