Advent Lights · Week 2 · Grades 6–8
Guided Notes: St. Juan Diego
- Name
- Date
- Class
Follow along as your teacher presents. Fill in each section when its slide is on the screen.
St. Juan Diego
A world turned upside down
Juan Diego was born in 1474 in Cuautitlán, in the Valley of Mexico. His name was Cuauhtlatoatzin, “the talking eagle.” He was an Indigenous man who spoke blank 1, farmed and wove mats.
In 1521, when he was in his forties, Spanish forces and their allies conquered the great city of blank 2. War and new diseases killed many Indigenous people. Many who survived were treated harshly by the new rulers.
Franciscan missionaries arrived soon after. Around blank 3 Juan Diego was baptized. He walked miles to Mass and to lessons in the faith.
Juan Diego’s life and legacy
Write what happened at each point.
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1474 | Write your answer |
| 1521 | Write your answer |
| c. 1524 | Write your answer |
| 1531 | Write your answer |
| 1548 | Write your answer |
| 1990 | Write your answer |
| 2002 | Write your answer |
Check the facts
What was happening in Mexico in the years before 1531? Circle one.
- A Mexico had just become its own free country
- B No Europeans had yet arrived in the region
- C Spanish rule had begun after a war of conquest
- D Juan Diego’s people were ruling over Spain
Why is that the right answer?
Four days in December
On December 9, 1531, Juan Diego was walking to Mass. On blank 4 Hill a lady spoke to him in Nahuatl. She said she was the Virgin Mary and asked for a church to be built there.
He went to the bishop, Juan de blank 5, who listened and asked for a sign. Then Juan Diego’s uncle fell gravely ill. On December 12 he took another path to find a priest. Mary met him anyway and told him his uncle was healed.
She sent him to gather roses on the wintry hilltop. Before the bishop he opened his blank 6, his cloak. The roses fell, and her image was on the cloth.
Why this messenger?
What does the choice of Juan Diego as messenger show most clearly? Circle one.
- A Every person has dignity, whatever their status
- B Important people should not be trusted at all
- C Only poor people are able to become saints
- D Bishops in that time never listened to anyone
Why is that the right answer?
Honor or ignore?
Mary spoke to Juan Diego in his own language and trusted him. Sort each choice: does it honor a person’s dignity, or ignore it? Check one box for each.
| Item | Honors dignity | Ignores dignity |
|---|---|---|
| Sharing a meme that mocks someone’s accent | ||
| Asking how to pronounce a classmate’s name | ||
| Trusting a post only because the account is popular | ||
| Listening to an idea from someone with no followers | ||
| Using a filter to mock another person’s culture | ||
| Learning about the first peoples of your own area | ||
| Leaving a quiet classmate out of the group chat | ||
| Crediting the person whose work you reposted |
Virtues Juan Diego lived
For each virtue, write how the saint lived it.
| Virtue | How the saint lived it |
|---|---|
| Humility | Write your answer |
| Perseverance | Write your answer |
| Obedience in faith | Write your answer |
After the roses
What did Juan Diego do in the years after 1531? Circle one.
- A He became the new bishop of Mexico City
- B He sailed to Spain to meet the king there
- C He led an army against the Spanish rulers
- D He lived near the chapel and served pilgrims
Why is that the right answer?
Talk it over
Juan Diego had no rank or power, and the bishop first asked him for proof. Online, we often decide whom to believe by follower counts and likes. How should you decide whose voice deserves your attention?
Think: my idea before we talk
Sentence starters: “I usually trust a post when ...”“A person I tend to overlook is ...”“Asking for evidence is fair when ...”“Juan Diego’s story changes how I see ...”
Pair: something my partner said
Let us pray
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.”
Luke 1:46
Lord God, you made every person in your image.
Teach us to honor people whom the world overlooks.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.
St. Juan Diego, pray for us.
Amen.
My own prayer or intention:
Well done!
Juan Diego is the first Indigenous saint of the Americas. His feast day is December 9, and the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is December 12.
One thing I learned today:
One question I still have:
How could the example of St. Juan Diego shape the way I live, online and offline?
Challenge: Choose one of the three virtue practices and do it every day until next week’s saint.