Novena to Saint Juan Diego

When this popular devotion is prayed in community, it is helpful to use the following format:

  • Hymns for gathering together
  • Announcement of the theme
  • Bible reading
  • Homily or reflection
  • Intention for the day
  • The rosary and Juan Diego Litany
  • Recitation of the following prayer after each mystery of the rosary:

Oh, Lord Jesus, you were born according
to the flesh in Bethlehem; you came to
Tepeyac in Mary full of grace.
Come, Lord, in your glory!
Come quickly. Do not delay.

December 1
Theme: God prepares the Americas for Juan Diego’s birth and the arrival of the Most Holy Virgin of Guadalupe.
Bible: Hebrews 1:1-4
Intention: We pray for the grace to experience more profoundly the unconditional love that God offers us and that He himself manifests in the many varied cultures.

December 2
Theme: Juan Diego is born in 1474 in Coatitlan (known today as Santa Clara Coatitla). He was named Cuauhliztatzin, or “white eagle, he who speaks like an eagle.”
Bible: Luke 1:57-66, 76-79
Intention: We ask God, through Juan Diego’s intercession, for the grace to recognize that all of the suffering of our life from birth to death is a result of sin – original, social or personal. We promise to respect all life, especially that of the unborn and the defenseless.

December 3
Theme: As a child, Juan Diego ( Cuauhliztatzin ) received a well-rounded education in the Tepochcalli (school) in his neighborhood, Texaxal . He learned to respect that which is sacred, help the priest, appreciate his ancestral culture and serve his people as a responsible youth.
Bible: Wisdom 7:21-30
Intention: We ask Jesus Christ, our Savior, for the grace to separate ourselves from sin and embody His divine wisdom in all aspects of our life.

December 4
Theme: Juan Diego ( Cuauhliztatzin ) and Maria Lucia ( Malintzin ) are evangelized by the Franciscan Friar Motolinia, the poor one.
Bible: 1 Corinthians 2:1-12
Intention: We ask for Juan Diego’s intercession so that we can walk in faith, obedient to the living Lord Jesus Christ.

December 5
Theme: Cuauhliztatzin is baptized as Juan Diego and Malintzin as Maria Lucia in 1524 in San Juan Ixhuatepec.
Bible: John 4:13-25
Intention: We ask God for the grace to live our baptismal promises with a radical conversion that annihilates our habits of sin so as not to search for happiness on false paths.

December 6
Theme: Juan Diego and Maria Lucia listen to Father Motolinia extol the glories of virginity. They agreed to live as brother and sister within marriage in their home at Tulpetlac.
Bible: Ephesians 4:22-25, 14
Intention: We ask God, through the intercession of Juan Diego, for the grace to submit ourselves in all our actions to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

December 7
Theme: Juan Diego loses Maria Lucia to death in 1529.
Bible: 1 Corinthians 15:19-27
Intention: With Juan Diego, we reclaim the promise of the Father to experience the power of the Holy Spirit in all of our tribulations.

December 8
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary
Theme: Juan Diego received communion three times a week throughout the 17 years he lived as a hermit in the humble shrine at Tepeyac hill. He was the sacristan and an evangelizer.
Bible: Luke 1:26-38
Intention: Together with the Immaculate Virgin and Juan Diego, we ask for the grace to believe that the promise of the Father will be accomplished in everyone through the power of the Holy Spirit.

December 9
Memorial feast day of Saint Juan Diego
Theme: As he was passing by Tepeyac hill, Juan Diego saw the Virgin for the first time. He felt as if he were in paradise (the first and second apparitions).
Bible: Isaiah 52:7
Intention: Through the intercession of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Juan Diego, we ask God for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit’s grace so that we can renew our enthusiasm to serve in the new evangelization.