Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas as well as Patroness of the Unborn.
From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
O God our Creator, from your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
You have called us as your people and given us the right and the duty to worship you, the only true God,and your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit, you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society.
We ask you to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.
Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughter gathered in your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome—or the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us— this great land will always be “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
© 2012 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC (obtained from usccb.org, site does not request permission for use as long as not modified from original).
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe is known as the Patroness of the Americas and the Patroness of the Unborn. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a miraculous one. She appeared to St. Juan Diego on a hill northwest of Mexico City in 1531. She identified herself as the mother of the true God, instructed a Basilica to be built on the site, and left the image of herself on a cloak made of cactus cloth known as a tilma.
The Blessed Virgin Mary of Guadalupe is pictured as being pregnant and is described as the Woman of the Apocalypse from the book of Revelation 12:10: clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. The fabric, which would have normally deteriorated within 20 years, is still intact today. Many miracles and conversions have been attributed to Our Lady of Guadalupe. The tilma hangs in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, the most popular Marian shrine in the world. It is also the 2nd most visited basilica after St. Peter’s in the Vatican.
Twenty-four Popes have honored Our Lady of Guadalupe. Blessed John Paul II visited her shrine four times. On his third visit in 1999 he entrusted the cause of life to her loving protection, especially those who are in danger of not being born.
Our Lady of Guadalupe remains significant for our times and for our country. Her intercession, as the Mother of God, is as important as ever to come to the aid of our country as we face the consequences and repercussions of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Obama’s HHS Healthcare Mandate. I have included the prayer above which was featured on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop’s website.