Saint of the Day for Tuesday

 

St. Juan Diego

Feastday: December 9
Patron: of Indigenous people
Birth: 1474
Death: 1548
Beatified: May 6, 1990, by Pope John Paul II
Canonized: July 31, 2002, by Pope John Paul II

Saint Juan Diego was born in 1474 as Cuauhtlatoatzin, a native to Mexico. He became the first Roman Catholic indigenous saint from the Americas.

Following the early death of his father, Juan Diego was taken to live with his uncle. From the age of three, he was raised in line with the Aztec pagan religion but always showed signs of having a mystical sense of life.

He was recognized for his religious fervor, his respectful and gracious attitude toward the Virgin Mary and his Bishop Juan de Zumarraga, and his undying love for his ill uncle.

When a group of 12 Franciscan missionaries arrived in Mexico in 1524, he and his wife, Maria Lucia, converted to Catholicism and were among the first to be baptized in the region. Juan Diego was very committed to his new life and would walk long distances to receive religious instruction at the Franciscan mission station at Tlatelolco.

On December 9, 1531, Juan Diego was in a hurry to make it to Mass and celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. However, he was stopped by the beautiful sight of a radiant woman who introduced herself, in his native tongue, as the "ever-perfect holy Mary, who has the honor to be the mother of the true God."

Mary told Juan Diego she was the mother of all those who lived in his land and asked him to make a request to the local bishop. She wanted them to build a chapel in her honor there on Tepeyac Hill, which was the site of a former pagan temple.

When Juan Diego approached Bishop Juan de Zumarraga telling of what happened, he was presented with doubts and was told to give the Bishop time to reflect on the news.

Later, the same day, Juan Diego encountered the Virgin Mary a second time and told her he failed in granting her request. He tried to explain to her he was not an important person, and therefore not the one for the task, but she instead he was the man she wanted.

Juan Diego returned to the Bishop the next day and repeated his request, but now the Bishop asked for proof or a sign the apparition was real and truly of heaven.

Juan Diego went straight to Tepeyac and, once again, encountered the Virgin Mary. After explaining to her what the Bishop asked, she agreed and told him she'd provide him with proof on the next day, December 11.

However, on the next day, Juan Diego's uncle became very sick, and he was obligated to stay and care for him. Juan Diego set out the next to find a priest for his uncle. He was determined to get there quickly and didn't want to face the Virgin Mary with shame for missing the previous day's meeting.

But the Virgin Mary intercepted him and asked what was wrong. He explained his situation and promised to return after he found his uncle a priest.

She looked at him and asked "No estoy yo aqui que soy tu madre?" (Am I not here, I who am your mother?) She promised him his uncle would be cured and asked him to climb to the hill and collect the flowers growing there. He obeyed and found many flowers blooming in December on the rocky land. He filled his tilma (cloak) with flowers and returned to Mary.

The Virgin Mary arranged the flowers within his cloak and told him this would be the sign he is to present to the bishop. Once Juan Diego found the bishop, he opened his cloak, and the bishop was presented with a miraculous imprinted image of the Virgin Mary on the flower-filled cloak.

The next day, Juan Diego found his uncle fully healed from his illness. His uncle explained he, too, saw the Virgin Mary. She also instructed him on her desires to have a church built on Tepeyac Hill, but she also told him she wanted to be known with the title of Guadalupe.

News of Juan Diego's miracle quickly spread, and he became very well-known. However, Juan Diego always remained a humble man.

The bishop first kept Juan Diego's imprinted cloak in his private chapel but then placed it on public display in the church built on Tepeyac Hill the next year.

The first miracle surrounding the cloak occurred during the procession to Tepeyac Hill when a participant was shot in the throat by an arrow shot in celebration. After being placed in front of the miraculous image of Mary, the man was healed.

Juan Diego moved into a little hermitage on Tepeyac Hill and lived a solidarity life of prayer and work. He remained there until his death on December 9, 1548, 17 years after the first apparition.

News of Our Lady's apparitions caused a wave of nearly 3,000 Indians a day to convert to the Christian faith. Details of Juan Diego's experience and Mary's words moved them deeply.

During the revolutions in Mexico, at the beginning of the 20th century, nonbelievers attempted to destroy the Image with an explosion. The altar's marble steps, the flower-holders, and the basilica windows were all very damaged, but the pane of glass protecting the Image was not even cracked.

Juan Diego's imprinted cloak has remained perfectly preserved from 1531 to present time. The "Basilica of Guadalupe" on Tepeyac Hill has become one of the world's most-visited Catholic shrines.

St. Juan Diego was beatified on May 6, 1990, by Pope John Paul II and canonized on July 31, 2002. His feast day is celebrated on December 9, and he is the patron saint of Indigenous people.

On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Pope Leo XIV delivers Angelus Address

 

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• Angelus
• virgin mary
• Immaculate Conception
• faith

Pope at Angelus: Believe as Mary believed, say ‘yes’ to God

On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Leo XIV prays the Angelus and invites the faithful to believe as Mary did, and to welcome Christ into their lives.

By Isabella H. de Carvalho

On Monday, December 8, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Leo XIV encouraged the faithful to believe in God as the Blessed Virgin Mary did and thus give “our generous assent to the mission to which the Lord calls us”.

He spoke to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the recitation of the Angelus prayer on this feast day, where the Church celebrates how Mary, at the moment of her conception, was preserved from original sin by a unique grace from God, given in view of the future merits of Christ’s redemption.

“The ‘yes’ of the Mother of the Lord is wonderful, but so also can ours be, renewed each day faithfully, with gratitude, humility and perseverance, in prayer and in concrete acts of love, from the most extraordinary gestures to the most mundane and ordinary efforts and acts of service,” the Pope emphasized.

“In this way, Christ can be known, welcomed and loved everywhere, and salvation can come to everyone.”

The Pope leaves us free to accept what he gives us

In his address, the Pope highlighted how the Lord gave the Virgin Mary “the extraordinary grace of a completely pure heart” in light of the coming of Christ. As the Angel Gabriel greeted her by saying “Hail, full of grace: the Lord is with you,” she discovered and welcomed her mission “with the wonder typical of the humble,” the Pope continued.

“With faith she responded with her ‘yes’: ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word’,” the Pope explained, citing the Gospel of Luke, verse 38.

He emphasized how this grace was able to bear fruit in Mary “because she, in her freedom, welcomed it, embracing the plan of God.” “The Lord always acts in this way: he gives us great gifts, but he leaves us free to accept them or not,” the Pope insisted.

He, in fact, cited St. Augustine, who said “we also believe, because that which came to be [in her] can also benefit us.” Pope Leo thus encouraged the faithful to believe simply as the Blessed Virgin did and welcome whatever mission God calls one to.

The importance of our Baptism

The Pope also highlighted the importance of the sacrament of Baptism in allowing Jesus to enter one’s life: “The miracle, which took place at Mary’s conception, was renewed for us in Baptism: cleansed from original sin, we have become children of God, his dwelling place and the temple of his Spirit.”

He explained that just as Mary, “by means of a special grace,” was able to welcome Christ in herself and then bring him to others, so too the sacrament of Baptism allows Jesus “to live in us and allows us to live united with him, to cooperate in the Church, each according to his or her condition, for the transformation of the world.”

Afternoon appointment in Piazza di Spagna

After having greeted various groups present in St Peter's Square, the Pope reminded the faithful that during the afternoon, he would pay homage to the Virgin Mary at the feet of the Spanish Steps in Rome, where a statue of Our Lady stands.

Every year, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Pope crosses the city bringing a basket of flowers that he lays at the base of the column on which she is placed. Earlier in the day, a team of firemen take their own posy of flowers to the top of the 27-meter column and place it in her arms.

Pope Leo XIV continues Papal Tradition of Praying at the Immaculate Conception monument in Rome

 

Pope Leo offers a bouquet of flowers at the base of the 12 meter tall column of the Virgin Mary  (@Vatican Media)

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• Pope Leo XIV
• virgin mary
• Immaculate Conception
• Rome

Pope Leo: Blessed Virgin Mary, watch over this humanity

Continuing a decades-old tradition of paying homage to the statue of the Immaculate Conception in Rome, Pope Leo prays at the foot of the 12-meter column on top of which the figure of the Virgin Mary is placed, and lays a wreath at the base.

By Kielce Gussie

Within 100 years of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, the tradition of sending flowers to the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Piazza di Spagna in Rome had begun with Pope Pius XII. A few years later in 1958, Pope Saint John XXIII went to Piazza di Spagna and placed a basket of white roses at the foot of the statue.

Pope Leo made his way through the streets of Rome in the popemobile to the Piazza di Spagna  (@Vatican Media)

Continuing this decades-old practice started by his predecessors, Pope Leo XIV marked 8 December—the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception—with a visit to the Piazza di Spagna.

A moment for Mary

As the Holy Father arrived in the Piazza di Spagna, the choir and assembly sang a Marian hymn entitled “You rise more beautiful than the dawn”. The Vicar of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina and the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, welcomed the Pope as he arrived.

After an opening prayer, Pope Leo offered a bouquet of flowers at the base of the 12 meter (39-foot) tall column of the Immaculate Virgin and the choir prayed the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary in song.

This tradition dates back to the 1900s (@Vatican Media)

Then the Pope offered a prayer dedicated to the Virgin:

Hail, O Mary! Rejoice, full of grace, filled with that grace which, like a gentle light, makes radiant all those on whom the presence of God shines. The Mystery has wrapped you round from the beginning; from your mother’s womb it began to accomplish great things in you, things that soon asked for your consent—that “Yes” which inspired so many other “yeses.”

Immaculate one, Mother of a faithful people, your purity bathes Rome in eternal light, your path fills its streets with a fragrance sweeter than the flowers we offer you today. Many pilgrims from all over the world, O Immaculate Virgin, have walked the streets of this city throughout history and in this jubilee year. A humanity tested, at times crushed, humble as the very earth from which God shaped it and into which He does not cease to breathe His life-giving Spirit.

Look, O Mary, upon so many sons and daughters whose hope has not been extinguished: may what your Son has sown in them take root and grow—He, the living Word, who in each person asks to grow still more, to take on flesh, face, and voice. May jubilee hope blossom in Rome and in every corner of the earth, hope in the new world God is preparing, of which you, O Virgin, are like the bud and the dawn. After the holy doors, may other doors now open—doors of homes and oases of peace where dignity may flourish again, where people may learn nonviolence and the art of reconciliation.

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The Immaculate Conception in the hearts and words of the Popes

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Pope at Angelus: Believe as Mary believed, say ‘yes’ to God

May the kingdom of God come—the newness you longed for so deeply and to which you opened yourself completely, as a child, as a young woman, and as mother of the nascent Church. Inspire new insights in the Church that journeys in Rome and in the particular Churches which, in every context, gather up the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of our contemporaries—especially the poor and all those who suffer.

May baptism continue to bring forth men and women holy and immaculate, called to become living members of the Body of Christ—a Body that acts, consoles, reconciles, and transforms the earthly city in which the City of God is being prepared. Intercede for us, grappling with changes that seem to find us unprepared and powerless. Inspire dreams, visions, and courage—you who know better than anyone that nothing is impossible for God, and also that God does nothing alone.

Set us on our way, with the haste that once moved your steps toward your cousin Elizabeth, and with the trembling eagerness with which you became an exile and pilgrim—to be blessed, yes, but blessed among all women, first disciple of your Son, mother of God-with-us. Help us to be always a Church with and among the people, leaven in the dough of a humanity crying out for justice and hope. Immaculate one, woman of infinite beauty, watch over this city, over this humanity. Point them to Jesus, lead them to Jesus, present them to Jesus. Mother, Queen of Peace, pray for us.

Before departing the Piazza, Pope Leo spent time greeting a number of the 30,000 people gathered for the event—a number of children, the elderly and the sick.

December 8th: The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 

What is the feast of the Immaculate Conception?

• By Collin Vogt
• December 5, 2025
• Photography: IStock photo by Jorisvo

Stained Glass in the Church of Tervuren, Belgium, depicting Mother Mary and the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception

While most consistently church-going Catholics will know this, it is a common misconception (pun intended) that the Feast of the Immaculate Conception—the Holy Day of Obligation taking place December 8—refers to the conception of Jesus.

It’s easy to understand why. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. That is certainly immaculate. However, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception actually refers to the conception of Mary—that she was preserved as a perfect vessel for God to enter the world, free from original sin.

The Catholic doctrine of Mary’s sinless birth is an important distinguisher of the Catholic Church from the Eastern Orthodox churches and offers the most complete, theologically sound interpretation of Scripture from the very beginning.

Two key verses set the stage for the doctrine. The first comes early in Genesis: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15). This verse is often referred to as the “protoevangelium,” the first prophecy referring to Jesus’ redemption of humanity after our fall. The Catholic Church identifies Mary as the woman, the “new Eve,” a belief posited by the earliest Church fathers, such as Saint Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyon in the second century. He wrote in his work Against Heresies that Mary reverses the fall caused by Eve’s disobedience because Mary “was obedient and became the cause of salvation for herself and the whole human race.” Saint Irenaeus’ teaching was rooted in Saint Paul’s doctrine of Christ as the “Last Adam,” thus implying Mary as the “New Eve.”

The second verse forming the basis of Mary’s Immaculate Conception comes from the Gospel of Luke, with the angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Luke, 1:28). The phrase “full of grace,” which is now part of the Hail Mary prayer, is translated from the Greek phrase kecharitōmenē, which is a perfect passive participle that conveys a permanent and enduring state of grace for Mary, implying that she had always been in a state of grace and was not touched by Original Sin. Additionally, the word was used in place of a name or title for Mary, further strengthening the belief that her role in Salvation was specially ordained by God from the beginning.

Thus, the idea that Mary was born without sin was a part of Catholic teaching from the first century and onward. However, an important debate took place in the Middle Ages—how could Mary be free from original sin while still needing redemption through Christ? This was important because, unlike Jesus, Mary was not divine and therefore was in need of salvation. Yet, if she was born without sin, why would she need salvation? This deadlock prevented the doctrine from being formally adopted by the Church for many years.

The resolution came from Franciscan Friar John Duns Scotus (Scotus coming from the Latin Scotia, referring to his native Scotland) in the early 13th Century. Scotus defended the Immaculate Conception by arguing that Mary was essentially preemptively redeemed by Christ. He referred to this as a “preservative” redemption and articulated that this was indeed a “more perfect form” of redemption, because it was better to preserve one from sin than to save them after it has occurred. Furthermore, this “preservative” redemption only serves to further exalt Christ as Redeemer, while rightfully acknowledging Mary’s reliance on His salvation.

Scotus’ elegant solution properly exalted Jesus as Savior and proved Mary as Immaculately Conceived, while maintaining centuries of Catholic canon. Scotus was so persuasive in his defense of the Immaculate Conception that the University of Paris, where he taught, officially adopted his argument.

Understanding the implications of the Immaculate Conception is not only important for comprehending the Catholic Church’s Mariology, but also to properly conceiving something of the nature of God—as much as we are able to do so.

In other words, it is important to distinguish that God is not “bound” by some force or circumstance outside of His control, in the sense that He could not enter the world except through a perfect vessel. Rather, the Immaculate Conception was a “fitting” gift made for the Second Eve—whom God knew would be faithful, because of His perfectly just nature—as an adornment of the even more gracious gift of the Incarnation. Put simply, the Immaculate Conception occurred because God is perfect and just—not because it was a constraint.

While his argument still generated dissent among certain groups of the clergy for centuries, Scotus’ interpretation became the most prevalent and popularly accepted reasoning for the Immaculate Conception. It was not, however, definitively declared as a dogmatic teaching of the Church until Pope Pius IX’s decree in the papal bull Ineffabilis Deus, issued in 1854.

Just four years later, in the Marian apparition at Lourdes, Bernadette Soubirous reported that the Blessed Mother announced herself as “The Immaculate Conception,” seemingly offering confirmation from heaven that the dogma was appropriate.

Sunday Angelus Address 12.07.2025 with Pope Leo XIV

 

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• Pope Leo XIV
• Angelus
• advent
• Second Vatican Council
• anniversary

Pope at Angelus: Advent calls us to prepare for the just Judge

At the Angelus prayer, Pope Leo XIV reflects on the urgency of preparing for the coming of the Kingdom of God and our encounter with Jesus, the just Judge.

By Devin Watkins

Pope Leo XIV prayed the noon-day Angelus with the faithful gathered on Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, as the Church celebrated the Second Sunday of Advent.

In his address, the Pope recalled John the Baptist’s preaching in the desert of Judea: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

Each day, we pray the Our Father, in which we ask “Thy kingdom come.”

With those words, he said, we invite God’s kingdom to enter our world and recognize that the course of history is not controlled by the powerful of this world.

“Let us put our thoughts and energy at the service of God who came not to reign over us, but rather to free us,” said the Pope. “This is the ‘gospel,’ the truly good news that motivates and draws us in.”

John the Baptist’s preaching was severe, admitted Pope Leo. Yet, he said, his words are a call to take life seriously, urging us to prepare ourselves today “for the encounter with Him who judges not by appearance, but by our deeds and the intentions of our hearts.”

When Jesus came the first time, He came in meekness and mercy, surprising John the Baptist.

Jesus, said the Pope, resembles the sprout on a seemingly dead trunk spoken about by the prophet Isaiah. His coming, was not for power or destruction, but rather brought about rebirth and renewal.

“This is what the Church experienced in the Second Vatican Council, which concluded exactly sixty years ago,” noted Pope Leo XIV. “That experience is renewed when we journey toward the Kingdom of God, together with all those who eagerly welcome and serve it.”

The coming of God’s Kingdom will bring even those things that seemed weak or marginal to fulfillment.

“The world greatly needs this hope!” he said. “Nothing is impossible for God. Let us prepare ourselves for His Kingdom; let us welcome it.”

In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV invited Christians to embrace the spirituality of Advent, which he said is “very luminous and concrete.”

“The streetlights remind us that each of us can be a little light, if we welcome Jesus, the shoot of a new world.”

Pope Leo XIV enjoys the Concert with the Poor

 

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• Pope Leo XIV
• music
• poverty
• solidarity
• christmas
• Vatican

Pope Leo: ‘Music is like a bridge that leads us to God’

Pope Leo XIV joins the audience at the Vatican’s “Concert with the Poor” in the Paul VI Hall and expresses his pleasure to be able to partake in the joy of listening to music, which is “not a luxury for the few, but a divine gift accessible to everyone.”

By Linda Bordoni 

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Pope Leo: ‘In the poor, the Lord continues to speak to us’

Saturday evening was special in the Vatican as Pope Leo XIV welcomed artists, volunteers, and more than 3,000 guests of honour - vulnerable and marginalised men and women in need of different nationalities, languages, and religions - who filled the Paul VI Hall for the sixth “Concert with the Poor.”

Greeting participants and guests at the conclusion of the event organised by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity and in collaboration with the Diocese of Rome and a host of associations and groups that care for the poor, this 2025 edition featured international artist Michael Bublè, together with his band, the Choir of the Diocese of Rome, conducted by Monsignor Marco Frisina, and the Nova Opera Orchestra.

The Pope sat back throughout the concert smiling, clearly enjoying the music, clapping with enthusiasm at the conclusion of every song and even singing along with Michael Bublè before taking a few moments to express his pleasure for having been able to join an event “born from the heart of Pope Francis.”

He highlighted the universal gift of music, saying, “This evening, as the melodies touched our hearts, we felt the inestimable value of music: not a luxury for the few, but a divine gift accessible to everyone, rich and poor.”

A special joy

“As I greet each one of you, I feel a special joy in welcoming you, brothers and sisters, for whom we have experienced this concert today: thank you for your presence!” he said as he welcomed the concert's intended audience, before thanking the organisers and contributors, including Cardinal Vicar Baldo Reina, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, and the various charitable organisations that, he noted, made the event possible. 

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Michael Bublé: When I hear music, I hear the voice of God

He also had special words of thanks for the performers: “Our gratitude naturally goes to those who have performed the music and songs with art and passion.” 

Music is like a bridge that leads us to God

Reflecting on the spiritual significance of music, the Pope said, “Music is like a bridge that leads us to God. It is capable of transmitting feelings, emotions, even the deepest stirrings of the soul, lifting them up and transforming them into an imaginary stairway connecting earth and heaven.”

Music, he continued, does not merely distract from suffering, but reminds humanity of its greater identity: “We are not just this: we are far more than our problems and our troubles, we are God’s beloved children!”

The Pope also highlighted the strong connection between music and the celebration of Christmas, noting that “It is not a coincidence that the feast of Christmas is very rich in traditional songs, in every language and every culture. It is as though this Mystery could not be celebrated without music, without hymns of praise.”

Prepare for the coming of Christ

Inviting all to prepare for the coming of Christ during Advent, the Pope concluded, “Let us ensure that our hearts are not weighed down, that they are not preoccupied with selfish interests and material concerns, but rather that they are awake, attentive to others, to those in need; let us be ready to listen to the song of God’s love, which is Jesus Christ. Yes, Jesus is God’s song of love for humanity. Let us listen to this song! Let us learn it well, so that we too can sing it with our lives.”