Archbishop José H. Gomez calls Guadalupe apparitions the origin story of the Americas

Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles has released a 20,000-word pastoral letter titled “The Wonder of America,” calling on Catholics to prepare for the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 2031.

In the letter, Archbishop Gomez describes the apparitions as the “true origin story for the United States and the nations of the Americas.” He suggests that the event holds the key to understanding historical religious intentions for the continents and serves as a guide for the Church’s ongoing missionary mission.

The letter was released on October 22, the feast day of St. John Paul II, who was the first pope to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The title of the pastoral letter is inspired by the 18th-century Mexican painter Don Miguel Cabrera, who referred to the Guadalupe tilma as the “Maravilla Americana” or “The Wonder of America.”