Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtatoatzin, December 9

Welcome

These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.

: Published: December 09 2021

The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain,
their tongues are parched with thirst.
I, the LORD, will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. (Is 41:13-20)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120921.cfm
When God comes to the rescue of the afflicted and the needy, marvelous things happen—as in today’s feast of Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin. His name "Cuauhtlatoatzin" means "the one who speaks like an eagle." He received the visions of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the Tepeyac hill near the great city of Tenochtitlán (now Mexico City) beginning on December 9, 1531. After telling his story, more than 11 million indigenous people were baptized. He was canonized on July 31, 2002, the first indigenous saint of the Americas.