SAN DIEGO — The Diocese of San Diego’s celebration of the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 2031 began at her iconic home at the basilica in Mexico City that bears her name.
That is where Bishop Michael Pham traveled in July, leading a 100-plus member delegation from the diocese on a pilgrimage. In a Mass at the basilica on July 30, he received a tilma relic that bears the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe to bring home to the San Diego-Imperial Valley region.
He was accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Pulido, and Bishop Ramón Bejarano, from the Diocese of Monterey, and deacons and priests from both dioceses.
According to Catholic tradition, Our Lady of Guadalupe first appeared to St. Juan Diego, a simple Indigenous man, at Tepeyac Hill on Dec. 9, 1531. She revealed herself as the mother of the true God, and requested a chapel be built at that site from where she could show her love for the people.
Bishop Juan de Zumárraga, the first bishop of Mexico, was skeptical of the request, and asked for a sign of her apparition. In a second encounter, St. Juan Diego told Our Lady of the bishop’s hesitancy.
A third encounter came on Dec. 12, when St. Juan Diego’s uncle was gravely ill. Our Lady comforted him, and reassured him that his uncle would recover. He did, and his miraculous healing was attributed to Our Lady’s intercession.
Our Lady instructed St. Juan Diego to go to Tepeyac Hill and gather roses. Miraculously, he found beautiful ones even though they were not in season. She asked him to take them to Bishop Zumárraga as the sign he had requested.
When he opened his tilma for Bishop Zumárraga, the roses fell to the floor, and the image of the Blessed Mother was miraculously revealed on the cloth. The bishop accepted these signs, and built a chapel at Tepeyac.
Father Edgar Valtierra, representing the basilica’s rector, addressed the bishops at the presentation of the tilma relic, in front of the altar where the original one hangs.
“We give this tilma as what it truly is, not a gift but rather a sign, the same sign that (St.) Juan Diego carried in his arms without knowing that what he carried were not flowers, but rather a presence,” Father Valtierra said.
“And in this presence, the Mother repeats to us what she said at Tepeyac: ‘Am I not here, I who am your mother?’ And with this question, she reaches out to all of us, the ones here and the ones there, because her cloak does not know borders and her tenderness does not ask for a passport.
“And that is why this delivery is made on the road that the Mexican Episcopal Conference and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops travel as sister churches in preparation for the Guadalupan Jubilee. We’re not traveling like neighbors that greet each other, rather as children of the same mother who wants us to be together.
“In your hands, may this tilma be a reminder that we are one single family, and that whoever gazes upon it finds, not an image to be admired, but rather a face to be loved, of Jesus Christ, whom Mary always carries and always delivers,” Father Valtierra concluded.
Bishops Pham and Pulido then were presented with the tilma relic, as was Bishop Bejarano.
The tilmas headed to their respective dioceses are made from the natural fibers of the maguey cactus, just like the original. They are considered third-class relics since they touched the original when they were prepared.
“We, as pilgrims, have come here thanking our Mother Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, who responded to our Lord, ‘Yes, yes, I will take on this mission to bring Christ into the world,’” said Bishop Pham in his homily.
Indeed, the Church considers the greatest miracle associated with Our Lady that she inspired the spread of the Christian faith across the Americas, evangelizing through the Indigenous culture, not pushing it aside.
Bishop Pham called the tilma “very, very special.”
“We continue to see it as a living miracle for us in our world today.”
‘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
