Project Tilma
A Collective Creation of the Icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe
In October 2005, in preparation for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Hispanic Community met at St Mary’s Parish to plan the celebration. There were many ideas for how to prepare for the feast. One of them was the creation of an Icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe to be used in the Liturgy and then presented to the Church.
I knew I had many commitments and that I was not going to be able to create the icon on my own so I proposed a project where people from the community would come to paint together, bringing together members of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. I also contacted another iconographer in the community, Shirley Twining, to help with this process. the project was received positively.
The media we used was acrylic over canvas, a technique with which I had not had previous experience. I contacted Tom Denich, an Orthodox Iconographer from Omaha Nebraska, and he gracefully and generously shared with me his knowledge of the technique.
We had 9 sessions of work during the month of November. Families came to pray, paint, and share. Children, adults, elders and even babies had the opportunity to take a brush in their hands and help to bring this image to life. I did the detail work, myself with help of Shirley Twining, Lillian Vasquez and Carmen Vallejos.
I would like to thank the Zuniga Family, the Camacho Family, and the Esparza Family, the parents and children, youth and adults of the community who came to pray and to paint. I also thank my husband and children for their patience during the many evenings I was absent from home.
Most importantly, I express my gratitude to Our Blessed and Merciful Intercessor, Our Lady of Guadalupe, who guided us and taught us that we are all Little “Juan Diegos,” that we can do important and meaningful things to help bring the community together with her powerful aid, and that we can humbly offer our own” little littleness” to Christ Our Lord.
We presented the Icon to the whole community of St Mary’s Catholic Church on the Feast of Our Blessed Mother on December 12 of 2005. Archbishop John Vlazny celebrated Mass in Her honor and blessed the Icon. Festivities followed. The people of the Hispanic Community served and shared their cultural heritage through music, dances to Our Lady and delicious food. 800 people attended.
I keep praying that both the work of our simple hands as well as the humble work of our community will bring us together more and more, and also gather in many more souls to the flock.
Paper tracing
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Transfer of Image to the canvas
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Today's Juan Diegos
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Hands to work
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Painting the pink gown
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Abraham y Paulina
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First day
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Maria e Ivan |
Ruben
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Prayerful workers
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Youth working
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Shirley and Lilian
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Shirley
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Golden flowers |
Transfering gold |
Gold size
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Gilding of rays
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Mikey, Sebastian and Diva |
The Body of Christ at work |
Beginning gilding |
Some instruction was needed
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Overview |
Sra Socorro
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Federico
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La Morenita del Tepeyac
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The Finished Icon
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The Pedagogy of La Morenita:
She invites us to Trust in her guidance
She invites us to Ask for Her assistance
She invites us to Act with Courage
Suggested prayers for sessions:
Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe
Rosario Guadalupano
Readings of the Miracle of the Tepeyac
Trust in Her Guidance:
Our Lady is calling today to her children, just as she called to Juan Diego, we are by inheritance the little ones, the one she comes to call, the one that powerless but wanting to be strong, come to ask her help, knowing our only strength can be Christ, because we do nothing without Him.
She invites us to leave all our worries behind, all our fears, and trust in her guidance, like a small child trusts in the guiding hand of her Mother, blind trust! knowing She is The MOTHER for excellence, the one that brought God to us, the Humble Servant, and Instrument of the Will of the Father….
She knows we do not know how to do it, that we are wounded, and hurt, and lost, but she appears in our path, in our lives and shows us the way to Her SON.
Without her guidance, is difficult to walk, Her Immaculate Heart is in pain because we do not hear when She calls us, because we are Her little children too, and she wants to give us the most precious gift, Christ ….
Let us All pay attention to what she has to say, what she asks from us and how she lived her life , how she was obedient and humble and at the same time powerful in her silence and smallness.
Ask for her Intercession:
She invites us to Trust in her guidance, then she asks us to plead for her Intercession, Remember the Wedding of Canaan, Christ our Lord as the perfect Son hears Her plead, So when we ask Her to be our Advocate, she is the most powerful advocate we can have!
She invites us to TRUST in her INTERCESSION, in her Merciful Supplication.
If she is our intersession, even the most powerless of all, can be one with the Will of God,
Even the one that is LOST can be saved, the one that is SICK can be cured,
Against all odds!! If we give our worries ,our tiredness, our illness, our powerlessness to Her, she will intercede for us before Our God.
Act with Courage
But now She asks us to act!!!, to ACT? Yes to ACT, She invites us to trust, to plead and to act to have FAITH , HOPE and LOVE. FAITH in TRUSTING, HOPE in PRAYING, LOVE in ACTING.
She tells Juan Diego that she has many messengers, but that is important that HE goes and does what she asks from him…
TODAY SHE CONTINUES ASKING THAT FROM US…in our parishes and homes , in our schools and works, she asks us to take the message to the Bishop, what does this means?, to go and do the impossible, to be missionaries to evangelize, against all odds, to take responsibility for the Coming of the Kingdom, you me, they, all of us, are responsible to construct this Kingdom of God.
Like St Teresa would say, Christ has only your eyes to see your FEET TO WALK AND YOUR HANDS TO WORK.
She invites us to ACT WITH COURAGE…. It takes courage to follow Christ to the Cross, it takes courage to live up to the love God gives us in the Sacraments, it takes courage to recognize our smallness and sinfulness, it takes courage to want to change our lives, why is so difficult? Because we are used to do it on our own….or think we are on our own.
The Good news She brings to us is we are NOT ALONE, She is interceding for us just as she did with Juan Dieguito, so when we take the courage to change, to take the path to the Bishop, she will show her sings…. And the miracles will occur.
She invites us, she lovingly invites us, she does not pushes us, she does not forces us, only invites us persistently…. We can hear or we can decide to avoid her , but even if we decide to take another path…. She will come to find us again, and invite us again… what a Loving Mother.
Conclusion:
Our Lady is inviting us today to be Her hands, to be the hands of Christ, to TRUST in her guidance, to Ask her assistance and to Act with courage… To recognize our smallness, and give ourselves to God, and let Christ Do the rest.
La Pedagogía de la Morenita
Nos invita a Confiar en su Guía
Nos invita a Implorar su asistencia
Nos invita a actuar con valentía
Sugerencias de oración para la sesión:
Novena a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
Rosario Guadalupano
Lecturas del milagro del Tepeyac
ELLA NOS INVITA A CONFIAR EN SU GUIA:
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe esta llamando hoy a sus hijitos,de la misma forma que llamo a San Juan Diego ,somos por herencias sus pequeñitos, aquellos a quien ella viene a llamar, los que sabiéndose débiles pero queriendo ser fuertes, vienen a pedir su ayuda,sabiendo que nuestra única fuerza es Cristo, porque no podemos hacer nada sin El. Ella nos invita a dejar todas nuestras preocupaciones de lado, todos nuestros miedos,y a confiar en su guía,como un niñito confía en la mano segura de su Madre ,confianza ciega! Sabiendo que Ella es la MADRE por excelencia, La que nos trajo a Dios, la Sierva Humilde, el Instrumento de la Voluntad de Dios.
Ella sabe que no sabemos como hacerlo,que estamos heridos, dolidos,perdidos, pero ella aparece en nuestro camino, en nuestras vidas, y nos muestra la senda hacia Su Hijo.
Sin su Ayuda Maternal, se nos hace difícil caminar, Su Corazón Inmaculado le duele, porque no escuchamos cuando ella nos llama, porque nosotros somos sus hijitos también, y ella nos quiere regalar el mas preciado tesoro, Cristo! ....Pongamos atención, a lo que ella nos quiere decir, a lo que ella nos pide, y a como ella vivió Su vida,como Ella fue obediente y humilde y al mismo tiempo poderosa es su silencio y pequeñez.
ELLA NOS INVITA A IMPLORAR SU ASISTENCIA:
Nos invita a confiar en su guía, luego nos invita a implorar su asistencia, acuerdense de las Bodas de Canaan, Cristo nuestro Señor,el hijo perfecto,escucha su pedido,de manera que cuando nosotros imploramos que ella sea nuestra Abogada, Ella es la abogada mas poderosa que podemos tener!
Ella nos invita a Confiar, en su intercesión,en su Misericordia Suplicante
Si ella es nuestra abogada, hasta el mas débil puede hacerse UNO con la Voluntad del Padre. Incluso aquel que esta perdido, puede ser SALVO, el que esta enfermo puede ser SANADO, En contra de todas las predicciones!!
Si le entregamos a Ella, nuestras preocupaciones, nuestros cansancio,nuestra enfermedad,nuestra debilidad, Ella intercederá por nosotros ante El Padre Dios.
ELLA NOS INVITA A ACTUAR CON VALENTIA:
Pero ahora Ella nos pide actuar!!!! Actuar??, Si , Actuar. Ella nos invita a confiar, a pedir y a actuar, con FE, ESPERANZA Y CARIDAD, Fe en la Confianza, Esperanza en la Oración, y Amor en el Actuar.
Ella le dice a San Juan Diego, que tiene muchos mensajeros pero que es importante que EL vaya y haga lo que ella le pide...
HOY DIA ELLA SIGUE PIDIENDO ESO DE NOSOTROS … en nuestras Parroquias, y hogares, en nuestras escuelas y trabajos, nos pide que” llevemos el mensaje al Obispo” ¿Que significa esto?..... Ir y conseguir lo que parece imposible , ser misioneros y evangelizar con nuestra vida, en contra de todo, tomar la responsabilidad de la Venida del Reino, tu , yo, todos nosotros, somos responsables por la construcción del Reino de Dios.
Como diría Sta Teresa, CRISTO TIENE SOLO TUS OJOS PARA VER, TUS PIES PARA CAMINAR, Y TUS MANOS PARA TRABAJAR.
Ella nos invita a ACTUAR con VALENTIA.....
Se necesita valentía para seguir a Cristo a la Cruz, se necesita Valentía para vivir y aceptar el amor de Dios a través de los sacramentos, se necesita valentía para reconocer nuestra pequeñez y nuestra condición de pecadores, se necesita valentía para querer cambiar nuestras vidas, porque es tan difícil? Porque estamos acostumbrados a hacerlos solos, o creemos que estamos solos.
La Buena nueva que Ella nos trae es que NO ESTAMOS SOLOS, Ella interceden por nosotros, de la misma forma que hizo con Juan Dígito, de manera que cuando nos hacemos valientes para “ ir donde el Obispo” ella mostrara sus signos….Y los Milagros , pequeños y grandes.
Ella nos invita , amorosamente nos invita, ella no nos empuja, no nos fuerza, solo nos invita persistentemente…Podemos escuchar su llamado o podemos evitarla, pero aunque decidamos tomar otro camino, Ella vendrá a hacernos el encuentro nuevamente, y a invitarnos otra ves... Que amorosa es nuestra Madre.
Conclusión:
Nuestra Señora nos esta invitando hoy día a ser SUS MANOS, a ser las manos de Cristo, a confiar en su Guía maternal, a pedir su asistencia y a actuar con valentía.... A reconocer nuestra pequeñez, y a darnos por completo a Dios, y a dejar que Cristo que haga el resto.
View All My Creations To Date
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