December 12, 2025 

In December of 2018, I was blessed to lead priests and lay faithful on pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. Together we knelt before the Mother of the Americas, lifting our hearts in prayer in that sacred place where countless pilgrims have come before us. We watched as thousands—many who had walked for days from distant villages—brought their petitions and sorrows, entrusting them to Christ through the tender intercession of His Blessed Mother. 

Since 2016, as the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe approaches, the clergy and faithful of the Diocese of Trenton have carried torches through our four counties. These flames are more than light in the darkness—they are signs of the radiant faith Our Lady kindles within us, the light of her Son shining in our hearts as we journey toward Him. 

We recall the story of Juan Diego, the humble 57yearold convert whom Our Lady called “Juanito, my little son,” on the hill of Tepeyac in 1531. Just as at Lourdes and Fatima, she chose one who was simple, so that her message might reach all people in a language of love and mercy. Pope Francis reminds us: “Speaking to them, she speaks to everyone, in a language suitable for all, comprehensible, like that of Jesus.” 

To Juan Diego, she revealed herself as Mother of all: “Truly I am honored to be your compassionate mother, yours and that of all the people who dwell in this land, and of all the other lineages of men—those who love me, those who cry to me, those who seek me, those who trust in me.” She is the Mother of God, and she is our Mother too. 

Appearing four times, she asked that a temple be built where her children might come to receive mercy, healing, and consolation. To strengthen Juan Diego’s faith, she sent him with roses gathered in his tilma. When he opened it before the bishop, the roses fell away to reveal the miraculous image we know so well—Our Lady clothed in Aztec dress, radiant with the presence of God. I had the grace to behold that very tilma during our pilgrimage, preserved in the Basilica shrine that bears her name. 

Archbishop José Gomez once preached on her feast: “Our Lady is calling us to listen for her voice, to be guided by her words and her example … to do something special for her, just as she called St. Juan Diego to bring Jesus to every heart and every soul.” This is her call to us today. Like Juan Diego, we are messengers and missionaries, each in our own way, carrying Christ into every corner of our lives. 

Through this feast, Our Lady calls us anew: to think and act as Jesus did, to respond with His love to the struggles we face, and to meet the challenges of our Church with faith and trust. As the Gospel proclaims, Mary believed the word spoken to her by the Lord, and she was blessed. So too are we invited to share in that same trust. 

Let us never forget her tender words: “Do not let your heart be disturbed. Do not fear. Am I, your Mother, not here? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Are you not in the folds of my arms? What more do you need?” 

She reminds us that beyond borders, languages, and the color of our skin, we are all brothers and sisters—children of one Father, and children of the Mother of God. 

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Virgin Mother and patroness of the Americas, walks with us on our pilgrimage of faith. She gazes upon us with love, takes us by the hand, and leads us always to her Son. May we place all our hopes, our joys, and our fears at her feet, confident in her care. 

¡Que viva la Virgen de Guadalupe! 

 ¡Que viva San Juan Diego!