Members of the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity are continuing to promote devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe around the country ahead of her Dec. 12 feast day, according to a Dec. 8 Christian News Wire press release.
Sister Julie Ann Sheahan, vocations directoress at the sisters’ convent in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, said in the release, “Franciscans have always been at the heart of the beauty of Our Lady of Guadalupe devotion.”
Bishop Juan Zumárraga, another Franciscan, was the first to see Saint Juan Diego’s tilma bearing the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Sr. Sheahan noted. According to the release, the Franciscan Sisters pray with several dioceses during the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe and promote sacred images “that encourage a relationship with the Mother of Jesus who offers her protection.” A parish in one such Texas diocese is the home church of Sister Concepcion, who is now in formation with the Franciscans.
“I think there have been so many Saints that have interceded for me during my discernment of my vocation,” Sr. Concepcion said in the release. “An influence from the beginning from me has been the Virgin Mary, specifically Our Lady of Guadalupe. She has always been a mother to me and has guided me, and was especially present to me during the early parts of my discernment.”
In a Dec. 11 reflection on the Franciscan Sisters’ website, Sr. Sheahan wrote that the Blessed Mother “is a comfort and strength to us.”
Her reflection included a photo of a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe at St. Paul’s Church, in the Diocese of Austin, Texas. Sister Sheahan wrote that, as the photo demonstrates, “her peaceful presence is one of strength.”
“She stands with us; she teaches us how to pray and wait,” she concluded. “We pray for her intercession for those in desperate need, the people of Ukraine, Palestine, Nigeria, the Congo, Syria among others, the immigrants being expelled and their families, those who are hungry and cold along with the sick and suffering.
“May she teach us how to stand with our brothers and sisters, to give support and strength that they may know that they belong in God’s kingdom.”
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