ISSUE 349 JUNE 2026
Our Lady of Guadalupe visits Oakham On the weekend of 25th/26th April, St Joseph’s Church Oakham had a very special visitor. On the Saturday morning, a van arrived carrying the Relic Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The story is that in December 1531 Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego, a poor Mexican peasant, and asked for a church to be built on the site of her appearance. As a sign to his sceptical Bishop, Our Lady gave Juan Diego an image of herself on his cloak. Although now nearly 500 years old, the original cloak still exists in Mexico City, where some 20,000,000 visitors a year flock to see it. In 1979 St John Paul II ordered 220 digital copies to be made, and it was England’s copy that came to Oakham, by decree of the Church bringing with it the same graces and blessings as the original. The Relic Image was treated with great respect. It was taken from its carrying case by men wearing white gloves, set in the sanctuary surrounded by roses, and received formally into the parish. The next three days were filled with talks, devotions,
much singing of Marian hymns and of course, veneration of the Image. One of the highlights was the visit of 75 children from English Martyrs Primary School in the town who listened to a PowerPoint presentation and presented rose petals and petitions to Our Lady. In the meeting room adjoining the church, visitors could have refreshments and purchase a statue or a rosary as a memento of their visit. Canon Peter Vellacott, Parish Priest, was happy to bless these, and during the weekend Masses he expressed much joy at Our Lady’s visit. Behind the visit was a year’s planning by the Guardians of the Shrine, who take the Image round the country from the Shrine in Bedford. Recent visits have included Glastonbury, Uxbridge in West London, Torquay and Poole, and the Image’s next destinations in 2026 are Sheffield and North Wales. More pictures on page 7