CNA Newsroom, Dec 19, 2022 / 14:15 pm
The Knights of Columbus released “Our Lady of Guadalupe: Woman of the Eucharist,” a short documentary, on Dec. 12, the feast of the Patroness of the Americas. The film's release is part of the beginning of the nine years of preparation for the celebration of the fifth centenary of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Juan Diego, which took place Dec. 9–12, 1531, on Tepeyac Hill in what is now Mexico City.
In his homily for this year’s feast day, the Holy Father announced: “Today, Dec. 12, the Intercontinental Guadalupan Novena begins on the American continent, a path that prepares for the celebration of the Fifth Centennial of the Guadalupan Event in 2031.”
“I urge all members of the pilgrim Church in the Americas, pastors and faithful, to participate in this celebratory journey, but please do so with a true Guadalupan spirit,” Pope Francis encouraged.
In announcing the release of the documentary, the Knights of Columbus noted that Our Lady of Guadalupe is patroness of the Americas and “Star of the New Evangelization,” as well as patroness of the Knights of Columbus and unborn children.
In 1999, when Pope John Paul II established Dec. 12 as the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, he exclaimed: “This is our cry: life with dignity for all! For all who have been conceived in the womb of their mothers, for street children, for Guadalupe!”
“This powerful and moving film shows how Catholics encounter Christ through prayer and devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe,” Patrick Kelly, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus, said in a press release.
“Mary was completely focused on Our Lord with ever greater devotion. To imitate her and to be devoted to her as mother of Our Lord and our mother is a sure way to greater love of the eucharistic Lord, who gave up his life for the world. And the more we devote ourselves to the Eucharist, the more we will understand what it means to live a life of self-gift to one another and so strengthen the unity of the body of Christ.”
In May, Kelly demonstrated the Knights’ commitment to promoting eucharistic devotion when he announced that the order would provide $1 million to support the upcoming National Eucharistic Congress to be held in Indianapolis May 17–July 21, 2024.
In addition, the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council has developed multiple resources in coordination with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), including training materials for eucharistic processions. These will serve as a key component of the Knights’ support of the three-year National Eucharistic Revival organized by the USCCB and officially launched on June 19, the feast day of Corpus Christi.
Damien O’Connor, vice president of evangelization and faith formation for the Knights of Columbus, said in the same release: “The addition of ‘Our Lady of Guadalupe: Woman of the Eucharist’ … further supports and emphasizes the importance of the National Eucharistic Revival. We must be apostolic in how we live our faith, and nothing is more important than Christ being the center of our lives. This short film powerfully expresses Our Lady of Guadalupe’s desire to bring all of humanity to her Son, and through her intercession, she will show the way.”
Luis Guevara, the Knights’ executive director for Hispanic development, explained, “In consoling Juan Diego, Our Lady of Guadalupe told him, ‘Am I not here, I who have the honor and joy to be your mother?’”
“This is a timeless message,” Guevara added, “and Knights of Columbus, in imitation of St. Juan Diego, will work even harder over the next nine years as we move toward her 500th anniversary to bring her maternal message to all, especially those who suffer and are in need.”
The 12-minute film with English subtitles can be viewed here:
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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