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For many, our multiple day retreats are a great choice, allowing participants to enter into a more in-depth experience. Each day walking in the footsteps of St. Juan Diego as he did on his four-day journey with Our Lady. Using such resources as the Nican Mopohua, the account transcribed from the testimony of St. Juan Diego himself, affords an opportunity to better understand and participate in the message of Our Lady and how her invitation extends to each of us today. These events include artifacts from Mexico, examples of the maguey fiber from which the tilma was crafted, relics, custom maps, and our true-to-scale, unique digital image captured from within the vault of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. As a retreat package, this also includes the option for up to 3 smaller presentations to various groups per day in addition to the main retreat event.
Looking for something a bit more condensed? No problem. We also offer single day presentations. Usually hosted in the evening, but available at any time of day; this is a great option for smaller groups and/or private events. We recommend these for bible studies, prayer groups, family events, or even as a featured addition to an existing retreat or conference. This more condensed, but rich summary provides participants with many of the same opportunities of our multi-day events and can also be customized to highlight particular themes upon request. Most in person presentations are 1-2 hours long, depending on the audience.
All retreats include our unique, true-to-life scale digital print from Mexico City, as well as relics, maps, visual aids, and cultural artifacts including examples of maguey fiber and a woven tilma
Starts with a brief historical context and a summary of the apparition events in the first half, and then transitions to an overview of the image’s various features, gestures, and symbols in the second half. Also touches on the relationship between scientific investigation and the supernatural aspects of this miraculous image.
This retreat is based on the primary source material of the Nican Mopohua – the written account taken from the testimony of St. Juan Diego himself. As retreatants enter into the narrative of the five apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, they are invited to walk in the footsteps of Juan Diego and to hear Our Lady’s words as spoken to them in the present day, through him.
A reflection on how we are invited to encounter Christ in our daily lives, through the poor and by the example of Our Lady. The selection of Juan Diego, a humble 57-year-old widower and the use of his tilma; a garment which reflected the socioeconomic class and the very identity of a man in Aztec society speaks volumes about Our Lady and her heart for the poor. Siting the Nican Mopohua and the image of Our Lady, this retreat also highlights our experiences and a few stories of working in the mission fields of Mexico City with some of the most extreme poverty and corruption in the world.
While the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of profound hope, love and inspiration, the request for the chapel on the hill at Tepeyac and the image she gave to the world is nothing short of a loving declaration of war on the culture of death. Enter into the rich narrative of how, why and to whom Our Lady appeared in the Americas at that particular moment in history; and how she continues to walk with us in our time.
While religion and science, faith and reason are often misunderstood as being at odds; the supernaturality of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe serves as a beautiful example of their harmony. In this reflection, we see how almost five centuries of scientific investigation has served to help us understand more deeply its supernatural character as we come to better understand the natural world.