ABOUT THE EVENT
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The most important event in the evangelization of the New World occurred in December, 1531. Over the course of four days, the Virgin Mary appeared to an Indian named Juan Diego. As a result of this encounter, and the image miraculously imprinted by Our Lady on Juan Diego’s tilma (or cloak), millions of Native Americans embraced the Catholic faith and the Americas began to be transformed into “the Catholic hemisphere.”
The First International Marian Congress on Our Lady of Guadalupe, and its Guadalupe Festival, was in celebration of that great, hemisphere-changing event. This site provides an archived reference for the information presented at the Marian Congress during an event hosted by the Knights of Columbus on August 6-8, 2009. The Marian Congress featured presentations and discussions hosted by experts in the theological significance of the apparition, science of the image and teachings on Marian apparitions. The Marian Congress site contains a compilation of inspirational speeches, and presentations on the history, meaning and importance of the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego.
We invite you to explore this website, to learn about the apparition and its importance, and to join us on August 8, 2009 for a day of celebration and prayer in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.