CHAPLET OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

The Chaplet of Guadalupe has a cross, 21 beads and

a medal. Between the cross and the medal, there 1

bead, a set of 4 beads and then another bead.

Elsewhere on the Chaplet, there are 4 sets of 3

beads, each separated by 1 bead (total of 3).

Begin with the following prayer on the Cross:

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mystical Rose, make

intercession for our Holy Church, protect the

sovereign Pontiff, help all those who invoke you in

their necessities, and since you are the ever Virgin

Mary and Mother of the true God, obtain for us from

your most Holy Son the grace of keeping our faith, of

sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness of life, of

burning charity, and the precious gift of final

perseverance. Amen.

On the first bead, pray 1 "Our Father..."

On the set of 4 beads, Pray 4 "Hail Marys..." in honor

of Our Lady of Guadalupe's 4 apparitions to Blessed

Juan Diego.

On the string, pray 1 "Glory Be..."

Each set of 3 beads represents on apparition.

The First Apparition:

Our Lady of Guadalupe appears to Blessed Juan

Diego. Our Lady requests a temple in her honor.

Pray 1 "Our Father..."

Prayer: "Our Lady of Guadalupe, my Queen and my

Mother, I thank you for your first apparition to

Blessed Juan Diego when you revealed that you are

the Most Pure Virgin, Mary, Mother of the True God

and Mother of all mankind. I thank you for

requesting a temple to be built where you stood, to

bear witness to your love, your compassion, your aid

and your protection for all who would love you, trust

you, and invoke your help."

Pray 3 "Hail Marys..." followed by 1 "Glory Be..."

The Second Apparition:

Our Lady of Guadalupe gives Blessed Juan Diego

encouragement after his return from the Bishop’s

house.

Pray 1 "Our Father..."

Prayer: "Our Lady of Guadalupe, my Queen and my

Mother, I thank you for your second apparition to

Blessed Juan Diego when, upon his return from the

Bishop’s house, he knelt in humiliation and defeat

before you since he was unable to accomplish your

mission. I thank you for the courage and

encouragement you gave to Blessed Juan Diego to

make a second appeal to the Bishop.

Pray 3 "Hail Marys..." followed by 1 "Glory Be..."

The Third Apparition:

Our Lady of Guadalupe promises a sign to Blessed

Juan Diego for the Bishop.

Pray 1 "Our Father..."

Prayer: "Mother, I thank you for your third

apparition to Blessed Juan Diego when, after this

unsuccessful attempt to have a temple built, you

said to him, 'So be it, son. Return tomorrow in order

that you may secure for the Bishop, the sign for

which he has asked. When this is in your possession,

he will believe you; he will no longer doubt your

world and suspect your good faith. Be assured that I

shall reward you for all that you have undergone.'"

Pray 3 "Hail Marys..." followed by 1 "Glory Be..."

The Fourth Apparition:

Our Lady of Guadalupe fulfills her promise by

showing herself on the tilma of Blessed Juan Diego.

Pray 1 "Our Father..."

Prayer: “Our Lady of Guadalupe, my Queen and my

Mother, I thank you for your fourth apparition to

Blessed Juan Diego when you ordered him to pick

the roses he would find on the summit of the hill and

bring them to you. I thank you for arranging them in

his tilma when you said, 'This cluster of roses is the

sign that you shall take to the Bishop. You are to tell

him, in my name, that in this he will recognize my

will and that he must fulfill it. You will be my

ambassador, wholly worthy of my confidence. Only

in the presence of the Bishop shall you unfold your

mantle and disclose that which you carry.' I thank

you for your image printed on the tilma which

appeared when the roses were released.

Pray 3 "Hail Marys..." followed by 1 "Glory Be..

Closing Prayer:

Remember, 0 most gracious Virgin of Guadalupe,

that in thy celestial apparition on the Mount of

Tepeyac, thou didst promise to show thy compassion

and pity towards all who, loving and trusting thee,

seek thy help and call upon thee in their necessities

and afflictions; also to hearken to our supplications,

to dry our tears and to give us consolation and relief.

Inspired with this confidence we come before thy

august presence, certain that thou wilt deign to fulfill

thy merciful promises. We are full of hope that

standing beneath thy protection nothing will trouble

or afflict us. Thou has desired to remain with us

through thy admirable image, thou who art our

Mother, our health and our life. O Mary, Mother of

God, hear our petitions and in thy mercy answer us.

Amen

Optional Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe, my mother, into your

hands joined in prayer, take my prayers, petitions

and hopes, and present them to Jesus for me.

Remembering the love and care your hands

rendered to Him, He will not refuse what they

hold now, even though they are from me. Amen.

The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The feast in honor of Our Lady of

Guadalupe goes back to the 16th century.

Chronicles of that period tell us the story.

A poor Indian named Cuauhtlatohuac was

baptized and given the name Juan Diego. He

was a 57-year-old widower, and lived in a

small village near Mexico City. On Saturday

morning December 9, 1531, he was on his

way to a nearby barrio to attend Mass in

honor of Our Lady.

Juan was walking by a hill called Tepeyac

when he heard beautiful music like the

warbling of birds. A radiant cloud appeared,

and within it stood an Indian maiden dressed

like an Aztec princess. The lady spoke to

him in his own language and sent him to the

bishop of Mexico, a Franciscan named Juan

de Zumarraga. The bishop was to build a

chapel in the place where the lady appeared.

Eventually the bishop told Juan to have the

lady give him a sign. About this same time

Juan’s uncle became seriously ill. This led

poor Juan to try to avoid the lady.

Nevertheless the lady found Juan, assured

him that his uncle would recover, and

provided roses for Juan to carry to the

bishop in his cape or tilma.

On December 12, when Juan Diego opened

his tilma in the bishop’s presence, the roses

fell to the ground, and the bishop sank to his

knees. On the tilma where the roses had

been appeared an image of Mary exactly as

she had appeared at the hill of Tepeyac.

Reflection

Mary’s appearance to Juan Diego as one of

his people is a powerful reminder that

Mary—and the God who sent her—accept

all peoples. In the context of the sometimes

rude and cruel treatment of the Indians by

the Spaniards, the apparition was a rebuke to

the Spaniards and an event of vast

significance for the indigenous population.

While a number of them had converted

before this incident, they now came in

droves. According to a contemporary

chronicler, nine million Indians became

Catholic in a very short time. In these days

when we hear so much about God’s

preferential option for the poor, Our Lady of

Guadalupe cries out to us that God’s love for

and identification with the poor is an age-old

truth that stems from the Gospel itself.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the

Patron Saint of:

The Americas

Mexico