rosary workshop - Guadalupan history
HISTORICAL EVENTS
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE AND THE NUMBER 40
The apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a matter of history.  The basilica in Mexico City is one of the most visited apparition sites in the world. But what is interesting is how these events below carry the tradition of the number 40.

1492
We delight in historical coincidences understanding that all things are under God's timing. The number 40 symbolizes - a time of waiting - preparation - a new chapter in history of salvation. We see 40 days, hours, years everywhere in Scripture. So realizing that Columbus discovered America 40 years, (give or take a few months) before Our Lady of Guadalupe came in 1531, flagged a message! It was customary before sea journeys, to stop at the Lady's shrine (Guadelupe Spain)for a blessing. But it was unusual for ships to be renamed at this point. The Nina (girl) Pinta (paint) and Santa Maria (St Mary) carried more than a compliment of men and supplies!

1521
From the time of Montezuma’s death,under Cortez in 1521, until the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe ten years later, the Franciscans were teaching the Aztecs about the mysteries of the Lord’s life as prayed in the rosary. We may also read that progress was very slow. The language barrier and vastness of the land was overwhelming for these dedicated men of God.

1526
In 1526, the Franciscans were joined by the Dominicans in New Spain under the command of King Charles V..  Father Gonzalaz, a Dominican, was assigned to Oaxaca, south of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City). He found the Indians as difficult to reach as had the Franciscans. So, he had the rosary painted on canvas. The rosary was done in pictoral form for those who could not read in his home country and all over Europe. This visual, he believed, would help the Indians overcome the language barrier. It worked. It would also be easy to carry from village to village. The Indians brought their families to hear the story of the life of Jesus through this pictoral rosary.  One has to wonder.  The Indians learned about Jesus from a picture story on cloth - was it not by chance - that the Indians understood when the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the picture message it held for them - just a few years later - again appeared on cloth.

1531
 40 years after Columbus landed in his 3 ships - remember the new names - Nina (little girl) Pinta (paint), and the Santa Maria (St Mary)  - the cloth on which her young image would appear to be painted on was the simple work apron or tilma of Juan Diego was that of Mary.
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The Franciscan Bishop prelate, don Juan de Zumarragra, had prayerfully and secretly asked our lady for a sign - Castilian Roses. When Juan Diego opened his tilma to release the fragrant roses, the image began to appear on his garment. The Bishop fell to his knees knowing the Lady had heard him. Over the next 10 years, her image would bring millions of Indians to the Lord.
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But its evangelizing power would not stop there, as for some unknown mystery, this simple cloth made of cactus fiber did not rot away after its normal life-span of 20 some years It still exists today over 470 years later and may be seen at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
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On seeing this miracle, the thought ran through my mind, 'How many roses were in that tilma, is it possible there was one for each rose in the rosary'? Someday we will know.

1571
The Battle of Lepanto would be fought only 40 years after this apparition of the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe. Andria Doria would carry a small image of her in his cabin. The lopsided victory of this battle at sea, kept Europe Christian. The Lord was given the victory through the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the power of the rosary.

1611
Only 40 years later, Jesuite Colonists had a settlement on the Penobscot and at Mount Desert in Maine.  Missionaries were settling throughout the new world to bring Christ to the people. Franciscans would begin to settle in New Mexico and move onward to the territories that would become known as California. Then in the 1700s, Fr Serra would begin to build a chain of mission churches, one days walk apart, up the coast from San Diego to Sonoma.
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The new land was being Evangelized.