SAN DIEGO — In preparation for the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 2031, a contingent from the Dioceses of San Diego and Monterey will travel to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
The pilgrimage, July 27 to Aug. 3, will be led by Bishop Michael Pham and Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Pulido, of the Diocese of San Diego; and Bishop Ramón Bejarano, of the Diocese of Monterey. Bishop Bejarano was auxiliary bishop in San Diego until last January.
The pilgrims will visit sacred and historic sites in Mexico City, Tlaxcala, Teotihuacán, and Puebla, and celebrate Mass together.
According to tradition, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared in December of 1531 to St. Juan Diego in Tepeyac Hill, near what is now Mexico City, leaving her image imprinted on his tilma, or cloak.
The cloak is displayed at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which the pilgrims will visit. The bishops will receive a life-sized, authentic replica, with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The replica will be touched to the original, making it a third-class relic. It will be brought back to San Diego, where it will visit parishes and Catholic schools and be present at diocesan events, like the Pentecost Mass for All Peoples.
The visits are part of a five-year plan the San Diego Diocese intends to announce in October to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the apparitions, which ignited a devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe that has inspired and sustained the peoples of the Americas.
