Arizona republican., 1920-12-13
PHOENIX MEX|CANS
 FITT|NGLY OBSERVE
 PATRON SAINTS DAY

sOOu CaIlOilCS WHO Cldlin OASAlSo oS ~ their native land as the holiest day of | the year. It was the day set aside on the church calendar in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico. and is known among Mexl- cans as Guadalupe day.
 This day is always an occasion of 1 special religious services in all Catho- lie churches where there is a large I number of Mexican members, and 1t is I the day of all days when the devout ( Mexican never misses mass and the | other ceremonies of his church. As in other cities with a large Mexican pop { ulation, the day was observed here ! with special masses at St. Mary's church
 The fact that the anniversary fell upon Sunday this year added consid- erably to the attendance, as no good Catholic misses mass on that day and devotees of other races than Mexican were added to those present.
 The legend of Our Lady of Guada- lupe is not one o1 the old ones of the Catholic church but none are more beautiful. It is the one occasion which occurred on American soil which has recognized by the church as fitting to have a day set apart in commemora- tion.
 Beau Campbell in referring to the church at Guadalupe in Mexico and it's legend describes it as ''the holiest shrine in Mexico and it's legend the most beautiful of all legends
 This Is the legend:
 A pious Indian. Juan Diego, lived in the village of Tolpetlac and as he vent | to mass in the church of Santiago l Tlalelolco passing around the hillside | of Tepeyacac one morning. Dec. g. 1881. 1 he heard the sweet music of singing voices. He was afraid and looked up and behold. a beautiful lady appeared to him and bade him hear what she had to say. Juan fell trembling upon
 his knees and the lady bade him go to
 the bishop and tell him that it was
 her will that a temple in her honor be
 placed on this hill. The lady then
 vanished and Juan went trembling to
 the bishop and told him syhat he had
 seen and heard. The bishop who was
 Don Juan Zumarranga, listened in-
 credulously to the Indian and sent him
 away.
 Sorrowfully the Indian went back to
 where he had seen the lady and found her waiting for him. He told her what the bishop had said and she bade him leone to her again the next day.
 The next day was Sunday and Juan went once more to the hillside and the lady appeared to him for the third time and sent him again to the bishop with
 the same message as formerly. The
 bishop mistrusting that such a message
 would be sent through a poor Indian
 told him that he must bring some sign
 that what he said was true and again
 sent him away. unknown to Juan send
 ing two men to follow and watch him
 When they reached the hill the Indian
 in some mysterious way became invis- ibie and passed around the hill and l-T-
 the bishop demanded some token Of ; the truth of her commands. She told him to come to her again the next day.
 When Juan returned to his home he found that his uncle was very i'll of
 fever so that he must wait at home and attend him. Early in the morning of
 December 12 the sick man was very low and Diego started for the church
 to call a confeSsor and fearing that } he might be delayed if he met the lady,
 he went another way around the side ] of the hill. But, behold, she was com . ing down the hill to meet him. Juan I told her of his uncle's illness and the . need of confessor. The lady assured
 him that his uncle was already we'll. t The lady then told the Indian to 8 gather flowers from the barren rocks . of the hill, and immediately flowers t grew where nothing green had grown 6 before. She told him to take the flow CTS to the bishop as her token and to n show them to none other until he had 0 reached the bishop. Joyfully he folded d the flowers in his tilma, a sort of shirt = woven from the fiber of the maguey u plant, and departed for the bishops = residence. From the place where the d Virgin had stood spring of cold, clear
 water gushed forth, and is there to r this day, a panacea for all ills of the - flesh.
 e When he appeared at the bishops t, residence the Indian dropped the flow e CTS at the holy fathers feet and, upon o the tilma appeared the image of the is Holy Virgin Mary in most beautiful g. colors. The bishop placed the tilma e with it's magic picture in the oratory e of his house, holding it as priceless e relic. Juan returned to his own house -- escorted by the bishops servants and r found that his uncle was cured in the n. hour when the Virgin spoke and as- n sured him that there was no need ot
 a confessor.
 o A chapel was built over the spot st where roses grew and on February ' st 1532, the tilma with it's miraculous pie st ture was placed on it's altar over the sr shrine. Juan Diego and the uncle whC 70 was i'll became its attendants. Juar re and his wife, under the teachings O to the fathers, took vows of chastity anC st renamed in the House or the Virgin 1t as attendants until 154S, when Diego 1t died.
 The legend had the sanction of Rom, J. first under Pope Plus VII, who ordered l. an investigation by the Congregation Id of Rites with a view of granting au
 thority for the perpetuation of tn, le feast of the 18th of December, the da! I- of the gathering of the roses in tn D. tilma. A tribunal of investigation wa of organized in 1666 under Francisco Siles h. dean of the cathedral. They went t
 the birthplace of Diego and interviewe, rs many of the natives many of then D. more than a hundred years old, and es t. tablished the truth of the story as in had been told by their fathers. The, l- so reported, and after some delay tn in feast was authorized. Official actiol ed was taken, through a bill of Pope Ben at edict XIV, 1724. and Our Lady of Qua .ir dalupe was officially proclaimed Pro
 tectress and Patroness of Mexico, o IS, New Spain.
 On the 18th of September. 1S10, whel de Hidalgo raised the flag Of revol ed against Spain, he took the banner 0 st the Virgin from the church at Atoto as nilco and proclaimed the independenc d. of Mexico with it in his hand. Hi CT warriors took "Guadalupe" as thei