SAN DIEGO — The diocese is launching a sweeping five-year initiative to prepare the community for the 500th anniversary in 2031 of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Our Lady’s appearance as a loving Indigenous mother transformed the native peoples of Mexico and beyond, leading them to Jesus Christ. Her comforting, unifying presence brings dignity, hope and peace to all those who seek her mantle of protection, not just in the Americas but in the Philippines and virtually anywhere faithful turn to her in refuge.
The Guadalupe 2031 initiative will bring numerous opportunities over the next five years for community members to personally encounter Our Lady of Guadalupe, to learn her transformational story and to celebrate the 500th anniversary of her apparitions to St. Juan Diego.
“My wish is that every one of us, not just Hispanics, but for all cultures and tongues to come to know her, how beautiful she is and how she continues journeying with us today,” said Bishop Michael Pham at a special Mass he celebrated at the iconic Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Mexico City on July 30.
He was there leading a delegation from the diocese that received a relic of the tilma, or cloak, that carries Our Lady’s image imprinted on its natural fibers.
Receiving the tilma relic was a beautiful first step in the diocese’s five-year journey to invite everyone in the San Diego-Imperial Valley region to encounter Our Lady.
The diocese will launch that journey publicly at an event on Oct. 10, at Cathedral Catholic High School, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will mark the first public appearance of the tilma in the local region.
Afterward, the tilma will be present at diocesan celebrations and presentations and visit parishes, Catholic schools, social service organizations, public venues, and jails and prisons for the next five years across San Diego and Imperial counties.
“She will be meeting people where they are at and bringing them to an encounter with Jesus Christ,” said Marioly Galván, the diocese’s chancellor.
She stressed the importance of coming together as a family to encounter Our Lady.
“To be unified under the mantle of our Blessed Mother calls for a catechesis that envelopes the ongoing evangelization behind the apparitions of St. Juan Diego,” said Galván.
The diocese launched a bilingual webpage, sdcatholic.org/guadalupe2031, that offers information about Our Lady and list events leading up to the anniversary.
Another goal of the five-year journey is for the faithful to pray one million rosaries to Our Lady. They will be able to log their rosaries on the webpage.
A van specially wrapped with her image will be used to transport the tilma relic around the region. The Light and Life ministry of the Knights of Columbus supported and sponsored the van. It will be used to transport Our Lady from the Archdiocese of Tijuana, across the border, and to the Pastoral Center in mid-September.
The diocese has divided the years leading up to the anniversary in 2031 into five themes centered on the five apparitions of Our Lady to St. Juan Diego. (See details in boxed information on this page.)
The first theme, to be observed in 2026-2027, is “The People of God Journey to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Through Mary.”
Several events over the summer supported this theme, including the U.S. Catholic bishops’ consecration of the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 12 and the diocesan consecration on June 14.
The diocese will host five presentations across the diocese supporting this theme in the last three months of the year, in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
To round out the year, the annual diocesan Our Lady of Guadalupe event on Dec. 6 will include a procession with the tilma relic across North Park streets and her presence at St. Augustine High School, where the Mass will be celebrated once more.
Through 2031, the diocese plans to organize additional presentations to support each year’s theme.
Everyone who encounters Our Lady at any venue will be invited to write a petition to her on a colored ribbon. The ribbons will be collected over the five years and be used to adorn an arch that will be displayed at the diocese’s celebration of the 500th anniversary in December 2031.
That grand event is in the works, but the diocese envisions one that can house thousands of people.
Bishop Pham and Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Pulido are working with pastors, inviting them to develop opportunities for their parishioners of all cultures and backgrounds to learn about Our Lady. And parishes will be provided resources in various languages to support this initiative.
“‘Am I not here, I who am your mother?’” wrote Bishop Pham in a letter inviting pastors to participate in the journey toward the 500th anniversary, quoting Our Lady’s words to a fearful St. Juan Diego.
“These are the words Our Lady of Guadalupe uttered to St. Juan Diego 495 years ago. The Patroness of the Americas beckons us to follow her Son, Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life.”
‘Guadalupe 2031’ Initiative Launch
The diocese invites everyone to encounter Our Lady of Guadalupe at a special event that will launch the 500th anniversary in 2031 of her apparitions.
Oct. 10, 2026
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Cathedral Catholic High School
-First appearance in public of the tilma replica in diocese
-Rosary and prayer service
-Procession
-Festival
Journey Toward 500th Anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Themes based on the five apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego:
2026-2027 The People of God Journey to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary
2027-2028 Mary, Model of Inculturation of the Gospel
2028-2029 Our Lady of Guadalupe, Fountain of Peace and Unity
2029-2030 Ark of the Covenant — Mary Bearer of Christ
2030-2031 Our Lady Leads Us to the True God for Whom We Live
