Recommended

This week in Christian history: Saint confirmed as real, anti-prostitution charity founded, Reformation begins

St. Juan Diego's historical existence confirmed – Oct. 28, 1998

Juan Diego (1474-1548), an indigenous Mexican who claimed to have seen an appearance of the Virgin Mary at Guadalupe.
Juan Diego (1474-1548), an indigenous Mexican who claimed to have seen an appearance of the Virgin Mary at Guadalupe. | Public Domain

This week marks the anniversary of when the Roman Catholic Church confirmed that St. Juan Diego, the man at the center of the Our Lady of Guadalupe miracle, was indeed an actual historic figure.

In 1531, two years after the death of his wife, Diego claimed to have seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary at Tepeyac Hill, which became known as “Our Lady of Guadalupe.”

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

However, in 1996, an abbot named Father William Schulenburg said that Diego was a mythical figure rather than a historic person.

In response, the Church organized a commission to investigate the matter, with research eventually presented before the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

“Among research documents submitted at that time were 27 Guadalupe Indian documents,” wrote Jim Cosgrove of the National Catholic Register in 2002.

“One called the ‘Escalada,’ co-authored by Valeriano and Franciscan Friar Bernardino de Sahagun, contained a death certificate of Juan Diego.”

Follow Michael Gryboski on Twitter or Facebook

Was this article helpful?

Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone.

By making a recurring donation or a one-time donation of any amount, you're helping to keep CP's articles free and accessible for everyone.

We’re sorry to hear that.

Hope you’ll give us another try and check out some other articles. Return to homepage.

Most Popular

More Articles