More than a symbol of hope

Last Sunday’s Chicago Tribune carried a large photo with an accompanying story that took up about half the entire front page of the paper that day, riveting attention from surrounding stories about Obama’s jobs plan and ongoing crime investigation in Chicago.

The story was called “Symbol of hope reaches out across cultures”.

And here’s the photo:

For the Catholic world, and all followers of the Virgin of Guadalupe, today is the feast day they celebrate across the North American continent. In fact…

Though Latino Catholics dominate the crowd, some Protestant churches, feminists, anti-abortion groups and Immigration activists have begun embracing Guadalupe.

“The last two years, I’ve seen an increase of Korean people who come for the day,” said Rev. Miguel Martinez, rector of the shrine, which is on the grounds of Maryville Academy. “I’ve seen people from India and Polish people who pray at the outer shrine, and also Filipinos.”

Although Catholics are not obligated to attend mass on Guadalupe’s feast day, the surge of Latino immigrants in the U.S. church combined with her increased popularity has made Dec. 12 one of the most heavily attended church dates in large cities, sometimes rivaling Palm Sunday, Easter and Christmas.

Why?

“It’s faith to us, Jesus and the Virgin of Guadalupe. She is always with us. She always knows our problems, and we ask with faith for help.”

The story of the roses at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Chicago is poignantly symbolic of the miracle that brought her image into the world in Mexico in 1531. The image was not created by human hands, and has defied explanation and odds of lasting for centuries on that simple tilma.

“What’s the miracle of the roses?” asked Rev. Bruce Wellems, Holy Cross’ pastor. “The miracle is the people. The miracle is their faith.”

And their faith is in the real presence of what the image symbolizes.