Nearly five centuries after Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to St. Juan Diego in Mexico, her message of maternal care will be renewed in the Philippines as a pilgrim image of the Virgin Mary visits the Archdiocese of Jaro in Iloilo this month.
The pilgrim image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, accompanied by an image of St. Juan Diego and a replica of the sacred Tilma associated with the Guadalupe apparition, will be welcomed at the Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Polot-an, Pototan, Iloilo, from August 24 to 27.
The visit is part of the National Guadalupe Pilgrimage from August 25 to 27 and the Novena Intercontinental Guadalupana, a nine-year global preparation leading to the 500th anniversary of the apparitions in 2031.
In a circular letter dated August 9, Archbishop Midyphil Billones of Jaro recalled the words traditionally attributed to the Virgin Mary when she appeared to Juan Diego at Tepeyac in Mexico in 1531: “Am I not here, I who am your mother?”
For Archbishop Billones, the message continues to offer reassurance to Catholics amid the challenges facing the Church and society.
“As a mother, she draws near to her children in times of trial, interceding for us before her Son, and manifesting her care in the life of the Church and in the history of nations,” Archbishop Billones wrote.
The devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe has a significant place in Philippine Catholic history. In 1935, Pope Pius XI declared Our Lady of Guadalupe the Heavenly Patroness of the Philippine Islands through the papal bull Quae Mariandī, following the First Plenary Council of the Philippines.
The upcoming pilgrimage has particular significance for the Archdiocese of Jaro because the Polot-an parish is the only parish in the archdiocese dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Archbishop Billones said the visit provides an opportunity for Catholics across the archdiocese to deepen their devotion to Mary and to renew their confidence in her maternal presence.
“Her presence reminds us that our Mother is always with us, journeying with us as a local Church,” Archbishop Billones said.
The pilgrimage also coincides with the 75th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Jaro, adding significance to the Marian celebration as the local Church reflects on its history and mission.
Archbishop Billones invited the clergy, religious and lay faithful of the archdiocese to welcome the pilgrim images with devotion and “filial love,” entrusting the local Church and its people to Mary’s maternal care.
For Catholics in Jaro and throughout the Philippines, the pilgrimage offers an opportunity to renew a Marian devotion that connects the Church in Asia with one of the world’s most widely venerated Marian traditions.
At its heart is the message attributed to Our Lady of Guadalupe nearly 500 years ago, a reminder of maternal presence and hope: “Am I not here, I who am your mother?”
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