Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Protector of the IndiansAbove: the old and new basilicas of Our Lady of Guadalupe.In the year 1527 King Charles V of Spain spent Holy Week at the Franciscan Monastery of Barajo near the city of Burgo in northern Spain. Friar Juan de Zumarraga was the prior of the monastery at this time. So impressed was the King by Friar Zumarraga’s holiness and capabilities that a year later, in 1528, he recommended that he become the first bishop of Mexico. His official title would be “Protector of the Indians.”Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowOne might wonder why a Franciscan would...

In the Midst of Much Blood, God Extended a Rose – A Meditation on Guadalupe and Mother Mary Msgr. Charles Pope • December 12, 2016 • I’d like to reflect this evening on the first reading from today’s Mass for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a...

December 12, 2016 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Reading 1 Zec 2:14-17 Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,and they shall be his people,and he will dwell among you,and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.The LORD will possess Judah as his portion in the holy land,and he will again choose Jerusalem.Silence, all mankind, in the presence of the LORD!For he stirs forth from his holy dwelling. Or Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab...

Celebrating Guadalupe, the Mother of Love 12/5/2016 The Story of Our Lady Guadalupe The FilmGuadalupe Timeline Read the ‘Nican Mopohua’ – the oldest surviving account of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe.A Mission from the Virgin On Saturday, December 9, 1531, while on his way for religious instruction, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, an Indian and recent convert to Christianity, heard singing coming from the top of Tepeyac hill. Suddenly, the singing stopped, and a woman’s voice called out to him: “Juantzin, Juan Diegotzin.” Ascending the hill, Juan Diego found himself before a beautiful woman adorned in clothing that “shone like...

But this article isn’t about the whole apparition story so much as it is about the tilma, Juan Diego’s cloak, on which the image of the Blessed Mother was imprinted. In the centuries following the event, some amazing and unexplainable qualities have been discovered about it. Here’s four (literally) awesome facts about the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe:

STRANGE LIGHT CLAIMED IN GUADALUPE IMAGE AFTER MEXICO CITY OKAYED ABORTION An apparent communique from Dr. Jean-Pierre Dickès, president of the Catholic Association for Doctors, Nurses and Health Professionals, reports what may have been an unusual luminosity in the famed image of Mary at the Shrine of Guadalupe in Mexico City immediately after that city legalized abortion. The event is said to have occurred on April 24 -- the day legislators okayed termination of the unborn up to twelve weeks. However, the similarity to photos taken in 1999 by an American raises questions that require further investigation for authenticity. "At...

Subject: Take Action - Join Us at Lobby Day!     The time is now.Planned Parenthood has joined with our coalition partners to host CHOICE NJ Lobby Day to fight for contraceptive equity!WHO: You're invited to join activists from Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice NJ, NOW-NJ, Sierra Club NJ, ACLU-NJ, and other progressive organizations at Lobby Day.WHAT: CHOICE NJ Lobby Day is a collaborative effort to educate and train activists to lobby their elected officials directly to pass contraceptive equity legislation without loopholes this winter!WHEN: Monday, December 12th at 9 a.m. Lobby Day will end early that afternoon, depending on...

This past week we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. (And, given my mention of Fatima, you may wonder why I have Our Lady of Guadalupe pictured here, but more on that in a moment). But as for Fatima, with all the emphasis on the magnificent teaching and prophetic fulfillment of that apparition, something that has always intrigued me is that she would appear of all places in a town called Fatima. Why Fatima, a town that recalls the daughter of Mohammed?Indeed, I have often heard that Muslims hold our Blessed Mother Mary in high regard. This reverence...

Reflecting on this evening of the great feast of our Lady of Guadalupe, I am mindful of the first reading we had today from the book of Revelation the 12th chapter. A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems....

The ancient temples of the Aztecs, interesting archeological sites of the past, have been replaced by the new temples of materialism, secularism and consumerism. On their altars the poor, the unborn and the elderly are forgotten, neglected and sacrificed by knives driven by greed, power and narcissism.  Mary will lead humanity back to her Son.  Mary will free us from the sins of our modern times.  Mary, Our Lady of Quatlasupe - She who crushes the head of the serpent, is leading the new evangelization.   CORPUS CHRISTI, TX (Catholic Online) - There is an amazing connection between the Solemnity...

Am I not here who am your Mother?Listen, put it into your heart, my youngest and dearest son, that the thing that frightens you, the thing that afflicts you, is nothing: do not let it disturb you? Am I not here, I who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need something more? Let nothing else worry you or disturb you. HYTHE, KENT, UK (Catholic Online) - Amalekites.  Not very nice...

In 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared to Mexican peasant Juan Diego. To prove to all that the apparitions were real, the Virgin imprinted an image of herself on Juan Diego's tilma, a thin cloth made of cactus fibres. This type of tilma normally decays in 30 to 40 years. But Juan Diego's tilma is still miraculously intact and the same as it was when he wore it. Over the centuries, many have expressed doubts about the divinity of the image, but Prof. Victor Campa Mendoza has no doubt whatsoever. "This is not a human act but an act of God,"...

Details: As the sun set over Mexico City, the Vice President of the United States toured the shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe. After a tour, VPOTUS walked across the square to the Antigua Parroquia de Los Indios (Old Church of the Indians), part of the pilgrimage for millions of Catholics.Later, under a full moon, when reporters asked his assessment of the candidates he had met earlier, VPOTUS said, “I rather not talk about the candidates … I had a wonderful day with the candidates, but I had a better day here. I would have come just for this …...

Ok, first off, I really don't write vanities, I even searched for help on how to write them so I am trying not to do this wrong. Also this is not a topic that one needs to get wrapped up about. Just mere questions. This first one is just a point of information but it is not easily answered. 1. Has there ever been a feast day for the Holy Lance or Holy Spear (and Nails even I've believed I have also seen) (the spear meaning the one that pierced the side of Our Savior crucified)? I read about this...