"Feasting and Honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe: Celebrations Across Chicago and Denver"

The annual feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, observed during the season of Advent, commemorates the apparition of the Virgin Mary to an indigenous man named Juan Diego near Mexico City in 1531. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe imprinted on Juan Diego's tilma became an object of veneration, leading to the widespread adoption of Christianity by native peoples in South America. The apparition is seen as a force for healing and reconciliation, and the feast day is celebrated with novenas, processions, and Masses, symbolizing the anticipation of the birth of Jesus Christ. Our Lady of Guadalupe is revered by Catholics worldwide as a sign of God's universal love and a reminder of the love and protection offered by Mary and Jesus.