An offering from the Montclair Center for Spiritual Practices
Our Lady of Guadalupe - Prayer, Guided Meditation, & Labyrinth Walk
Mother
Mary. She is revered in all nations, and speaks all languages. She is fair
skinned, dark skinned, and all shades in between. Her names are many. We know
her as the Mother of God, the the Queen of Peace, the Black Madonna, Blessed
Mother, Mother of Mercy, Holy Mother, Lady of the Angels, and many other names. She is the Mother of All
Peoples. In Latin America, she is known as the Goddess of the Americas. In
Mexico she is revered as Our Lady of Guadalupe – La Virgin Morena (The
Dark Virgin).
the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, Mother Mary appeared to an indigenous
peasant now known as Juan Diego, on a hilltop outside of Mexico City. Her appearance
to a humble farm worker during this time of great strife and oppression, was a
clear sign of her love for and solidarity with the poor. Manifesting the
Feminine Face of God, Mary brought comfort and strength to the indigenous
people of the Sixteenth Century, and has continued to do so for all those who
call on her.
In honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Montclair Center for Spiritual Practices will be offering a prayer service where we
will tell the story of how The Mother appeared to Juan Diego. We will meet Mary
as Shakti, the divine energy that permeates and animates the entire Creation. We
will honor her for bringing the feminine face of God to the Christian
tradition, and recognize her as Universal Mother for people of all faith
traditions. And we will pray and walk into the embrace of this Mother who loves
and is available to us all.
Our prayer will begin at 7pm in the sanctuary. After the service, there will be
an opportunity to bring your prayer into the labyrinth, and to allow this
ancient sacred pattern to offer you what it may. A special collection of
"Ave Marias" (some traditional, some not so) will provide music for
our walk.