St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (about 1474–1548), a humble Indigenous farmer of Mexico, was chosen by the Virgin Mary to carry her message to the bishop in December 1531 and received her image on his cloak, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He spent the rest of his life caring for her chapel at Tepeyac, and in 2002 he became the first Indigenous saint of the Americas. His feast falls on December 9, the day of the first apparition, three days before the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Below are prayers to St. Juan Diego for humility, for families, for the sick and for Indigenous peoples, the Scripture that fits his story, and his life.
A prayer to St. Juan Diego
Written for this page:
St. Juan Diego, humble messenger of the Mother of God,
you felt small and unworthy, yet she chose you and called you “my littlest son.”
Pray for me, that I may trust God’s love when I feel weak,
obey his call with simplicity,
and carry Mary’s message of hope to those around me.
Obtain for me the grace I ask: (name your intention). Amen.
A prayer for humility and trust
St. Juan Diego, you asked Our Lady to send someone more important,
but she wanted you.
When I think I have nothing to offer, remind me that God chooses the little ones.
Help me to do his will faithfully, even when others do not believe me. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. Jesus’ own prayer fits his story:
At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to the little ones.
A prayer for the sick
Juan Diego tried to avoid the Lady on December 12 because his uncle, Juan Bernardino, was dying, and he was hurrying to find a priest. She met him on his path, told him not to fear, and his uncle was healed at that very hour.
St. Juan Diego, you loved your uncle and hurried to help him,
and Our Lady healed him.
Pray for (name), who is sick.
Bring him (her) to the care of our Mother,
and obtain for him (her) healing in body and soul. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See the Catholic prayer for healing.
A prayer for Indigenous peoples
St. Juan Diego, the Mother of God spoke to you in your own language
and wore the features of your people.
Pray for all Indigenous peoples of the Americas and the world:
protect their dignity, their families and their lands,
and bring healing where they have suffered injustice. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page.
A prayer for families
St. Juan Diego, you cared for your uncle and served Our Lady’s house with love.
Bless our family: keep us united, faithful and devoted to Mary,
and make our home a little Tepeyac where she is welcome. Amen.
This prayer was written for this page. See the Catholic prayer for children.
The Magnificat of the little ones
Mary’s words in the Gospel describe how God works through people like Juan Diego:
And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
The life of St. Juan Diego
Juan Diego was born around 1474 in Cuauhtitlán, north of present-day Mexico City, in the world of the Aztec empire. His native name, Cuauhtlatoatzin, is usually translated “the one who speaks like an eagle.” He and his wife, María Lucía, were baptized by Franciscan missionaries in the 1520s, a few years after the Spanish conquest. After his wife died, he lived with his uncle and walked many miles to attend Mass and catechism.
In December 1531 the Virgin Mary appeared to him four times on the hill of Tepeyac, asked for a church to be built there, and gave him the sign the bishop had requested: Castilian roses in winter and her own image on his cloak, or tilma. The full story, day by day, is told in our Our Lady of Guadalupe novena.
After the apparitions, Juan Diego asked to live beside the little chapel built at Tepeyac. He spent his remaining years there in prayer and humble work, sweeping the chapel, caring for the pilgrims and telling them what he had seen. He died in 1548. Pope St. John Paul II beatified him in Mexico City in 1990 and canonized him at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe on July 31, 2002, the first Indigenous saint of the Americas.
Feast day and patronage
- Feast day: December 9, the day of the first apparition. A novena can run from November 30 to December 8.
- Patron of: Indigenous peoples and the poor and humble, together with Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- Symbols: the tilma with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and roses.
Frequently asked questions
When is the feast of St. Juan Diego?
December 9, three days before the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12.
Who was St. Juan Diego?
An Indigenous Mexican convert to whom the Virgin Mary appeared at Tepeyac in December 1531, leaving her image on his cloak.
When was Juan Diego canonized?
On July 31, 2002, by Pope St. John Paul II in Mexico City.
What is St. Juan Diego the patron saint of?
Indigenous peoples. He is also honored as a model of humility and trust.
More prayers
- Our Lady of Guadalupe feast day
- St. Kateri Tekakwitha prayer
- Our Lady of Guadalupe novena
- Advent prayers and customs
- Immaculate Conception (December 8)
- Rosary prayers
- St. Martin de Porres prayer
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Matthew 11:25; Luke 1:46–48, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The account of the apparitions follows the sixteenth-century Nahuatl narrative Nican Mopohua.
- The prayers were written for this page.