Catholic Activity: Enthronement of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The "Enthronement" of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a ritual recognizing Mary's great place in God's plan of salvation for His people. She is Queen in the truest sense of the word, for she rightly reigns at Jesus' side over the Kingdom He established: The Kingdom of God in Heaven, and the Kingdom of the hearts of men.

As Queen of Heaven and Earth she enjoys having a special place in Jesus’ Sacred Heart and ours. She is both the Mother of Jesus and is our mother as well. Mary is the primary and most important intercessor to her divine Son for us -- He is the Intercessor to the Father for us.

You can celebrate the Coronation of the Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe by enthroning the Blessed Virgin in your home. This can be best done on Our Lady's feast day: the twelfth of December.

DIRECTIONS

First, obtain an image of our Lady of Guadalupe (remember, Our Lady's image is on a tilma, so any dignified image -- from a photo reproduction to a beautiful statue of her -- will suffice).

Second, prepare for the celebration by familiarizing yourself with the ritual and reading over the Scripture passages you will use in the ritual.

Thirdly, decorate with flowers, candles, cloths, etc. the place where Our Lady of Guadalupe will be enthroned.

Fourthly, ask your parish priest to bless a bottle of water to have holy water always in your house. You may continue to add water to your bottle and the water will remain holy so long as you don't add more than half the volume of fresh water to the already blessed water. Having holy water, the eternal reminder of our Baptism -- the Sacrament of Eternal life -- is a must for every Catholic Home.

Gather together the family and go through the enthronement following the schema provided -- or write your own. But keep in mind the following:

• When you enthrone the Virgin, treat the image respectfully for who she is: a person of great importance. Remember, just as you treat a picture of your mother with great respect and love, treat the image with the same care. From that moment on, that image represents the Queen of your home, the mother of your Lord and God.

• Look at her image as a "living presence"; the Virgin has come to live with you in your home. Thus, piously, pay attention to her presence: Preferably pray together the HAIL MARY (or like prayer); once a day, meditate on her role in the Gospel, such as when she said at the Wedding Feast of Cana: “Do whatever He tells you.” Use scripture when you pray as a family and when you do this ritual.

• Give her the gift she most wants: the Rosary (prayerfully meditated) -- the main tool she has given to us to solve our problems (remember the Rosary helps us to know Jesus’ life as it is based completely upon the Gospel).

• Receive the most valuable divine Treasure that Mary has given us: her Son in the Eucharist. Make a good confession at least twice a month, attend Holy Mass at least weekly, worthily receive the Blessed Sacrament in Communion and visit the Eucharistic Lord in your local parish church regularly (10 or 15 minutes a day).

• Remember to be charitable with your family members and to be of service in your home. We should act like we do when important company comes for a visit. But this is an important visitor: God's mother. A visitor that will be there all the time. Our important company is living in our home: Mary, the Queen of our homes.

Enthronement of the Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Introduction Parents or one of the oldest brothers or sisters says:

We are here as a family in joy asking God to bestow His blessings upon this image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. This image will remind us of the close ties of Mary to Christ and His Church. First of all, she is Christ's Mother, the Mother of the visible image of the invisible God. But she is also the image and the model of the Church, and she is its exemplar. In Mary, the Church joyously contemplates the image of all that the Church itself desires and hopes wholly to be. The Church recognizes in Mary the model of the path and the practice it must follow to reach complete union with Christ. As the Spouse of Christ, the Church raises its eyes to Mary, the exemplar it must look to in carrying out the work of the apostolate. We should strive to take part in this service with the greatest intensity and reverent devotion.

As a Christian family, we gather together because we want to express our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

This faith began to be proclaimed in America 500 years ago. Mexico began to live that faith especially after the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Tepeyac Hill. Today we put the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe in a special place in our home.

+In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be in our hearts and in our home. Amen.

PRAYER

Good Father, you have blessed the American Continent with the special protection under the Virgin of Guadalupe, Empress of the Americas, the Mother of your Son and our Mother as well. Through her intercession, help us understand our faith and seek the progress of our nation and our community in the ways of justice and peace. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. AMEN.

All present are invited to kiss the image and while doing so say:

“Mary, thank you for saying YES to God's plan for you and becoming Jesus' Mother and ours as well.”

Be attentive to the following two readings from the Holy Gospel according to Luke:

"They went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. They made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." (Lk. 2:15-19)

"His mother said to him, 'Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.' He said to them, 'Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?' His mother kept all these things in her heart." (Lk. 2:48-52) The Gospel of the Lord.

Now, we will hear the words the Virgin spoke to Juan Diego the fourth time she appeared to him:

“Listen and understand, my little son, that there is nothing that should frighten or afflict you. Let not your heart be disturbed, do not fear sickness nor anguish. Am I not here, I who am your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not securely on my lap? What have you to fear?”

REFLECTION AND DIALOG AMONG PARTICIPANTS

What does the Virgin of Guadalupe offer to us in her message? Why do we put the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe in a special place in our home?

(After comments have been made, continue with the ritual.)

PRAYER IN COMMUNITY

In raising our prayer to the all powerful Father, we seek the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe to present with us our petitions:

Lord, hear us, assisted in prayer by your holy mother and ours. That all the families live in peace and promote the development of its members. Lord,...

That parents set a good example of Christian life to their children and establish a mutual communion of respect and support. Lord,...

That we, as a family, grow in Christian values and give good example and thus testify to the truth of our Christian name. Lord,...

Please add your own petitions that concern the welfare and holiness of your family here.

Loving Father, hear our petitions that we place in your divine Hands with the loving assistance of our Blessed Mother, Mary of Guadalupe, and Mother of your Son Jesus the Christ. AMEN.

PRAYER OF BLESSING OF THE STATUE (and altar area) OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

Lord God, we acknowledge your infinite glory and the abundance of your gifts. Before the foundation of the world, you appointed Christ the beginning and end of all things.

You chose the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother and companion of your Son, the image and model of your Church, the Mother and advocate of us all.

She is the new Eve, through whom you restored what the first Eve had lost. She is the daughter of Zion, who echoed in her heart the longings of the patriarchs and the hopes of Israel.

She is the poor and lowly servant, who trusted solely in her Lord.

In the fullness of time she was delivered of the Sun of Justice, the dayspring from on high, your Son, Jesus Christ.

In her flesh she was his Mother, in her person, his disciple, in her love, his servant.

Father, may your children who have provided this image (statue) of Mary know her protection and trace in their hearts the pattern of her holiness.

Bless them with faith and hope, love and humility; bless them with strength and self-respect in poverty; bless them with patience in adversity and kindheartedness in times of plenty.

May they search for peace, strive for justice, and realize your love, as they pursue their journey through life toward your heavenly city, where the blessed Virgin Mary intercedes as Mother and reigns as Queen.

With this in mind, we ask you Father, your holy blessings upon this image (statue) of Our Lady of Guadalupe, make it a holy object and this a holy place within our live. Bless us through her presence. May she always lead us to your divine Son. He who will lead us, in turn, to you, our Heavenly Father, to enjoy forever the promises of salvation. We ask this through Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

With veneration and care, together let us show our esteem for our Blessed Virgin Mary. Let us trust in her and call upon her constant intercession as we pray:

ALL PRAY:

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee we send our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, O most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

L. Pray for us, o Most Holy Mary, Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

FINAL SONG

Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above, O Maria. Hail Mother of Mercy and of Love, O Maria. (Refain) Triumph All Ye Cherubim. Sing with Us Ye Saraphim. Heaven and Earth Resound the Hymn. Salve, Salve, Salve Regina.

Our Life, Our Sweetness and Our Hope, O Maria Our Hope in Sorrow and in Woe, O Maria. (Refrain)

Immactulate Mary Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing, You reign now in splendo with Jesus our King.

(Refrain) Ave, Ave, Ave Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!

In Heaven the Blessed your glory proclaim on earth we your children invoke your sweet name. (Refrain)

We pray for the Church, our true mother on earth, and be you to watch o'er the land of our birth. (Refrain)