Beatrice was a Portuguese lady-in-waiting to the Queen in the 1400s. Having good looks that raised the jealousy of the Queen, Beatrice left courtly life to become a nun and was the founder of the monastic Order of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady. A small cloister of this …
OUR LADY OF THE THREE HAIL MARYS
On August 17th the Virgin of the Three Hail Marys is a popular San Miguel festival continuing to celebrate Mary’s ascent into Heaven. It is said that in 1960 Father Benjamin Grimaldi Balderas built the chapel to the right of the main altar in the Templo …
ASSUMPTION OF MARY INTO HEAVEN, THE THREE FACES OF MARY
The Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven, informally known as The Assumption, was the Virgin Mary ascending into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. The Assumption is Mary’s heavenly birthday. Her acceptance into the glory of Heaven is seen as the symbol of the promise made by Jesus to …
SAINT DOMINIC’S FEARLESS TEACHERS
Saint Dominic was a Spanish priest in the late twelfth century and founder of the Dominican Order of teachers. The spread of the rosary is attributed to the preaching of St. Dominic. The rosary has for centuries been at the heart of the Dominican Order. Dominicans have been instrumental in spreading …
OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS
A small town near Assisi, Our Lady of the Angels, is home to St. Francis’ first monastery. Here St. Francis of Assisi lived, started the Franciscan order and died. Our Lady of the Angels was founded by hermits who declared here is where Mary …
IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA – JESUITS EDUCATING THE INDIGENOUS
Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish knight from a noble family who following injury in battle during the early 1500s had visions of Mary, becoming a hermit and priest who founded the Jesuits. Jesuits had a profound impact on San Miguel de Allende, and around the world, forming numerous Jesuit …
SAINT MARTHA WITH THE DRAGON, PIRATES, VOODOO AND LOVE
Saint Martha was the aggressive middle sister to her siblings Lazarus and Mary. She was a friend of Jesus’. In the bible she is known for being witness to Jesus’ resurrection of her brother, Lazarus. Jesus also shocks her out of her anxious fretting about meal preparation (she is now the …
MARY’S PARENTS
Saint Ann (Ana, Anna, Hannah or Anne) was the mother of Mary and grandmother to Jesus. Her husband was Joachim (Joaquin). Their combined feast day is July 26th. Normally statues of Mary and Joseph flank an altar. However, in the Santa Anna church in San …
ST. JAMES’ BATTLE CRY
James was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, and the first apostle to be martyred. Once beheaded by Herod Agrippa himself, his body was taken up by angels, and sailed in a rudderless, unattended boat to Spain where he had converted locals earlier in his life. …
FEAST OF JESUS OF NAZARETH DE ATOTONILCO
The Feast of Jesus of Nazareth de Atotonilco (also known in Nahuatl as the God of the Hot Water) is celebrated at its namesake church in the small village of Atotonilco seven miles from San Miguel. The church attracts about 5,000 visitors every week. The …