St. Juan Diego: Listening With a Faithful Heart

Feast Day December 9th

On his feast day, we remember a man whose quiet faith carried a message of hope to an entire people.

St. San Juan Diego, an Indigenous man of Mexico, reminds families and catechists that God often speaks through humility, patience, and careful listening. His life shows us that holiness is not loud or forceful, but rooted in trust and perseverance.

Story of Listening and Trust

San Juan Diego lived a simple life near present-day Mexico City in the early 1500s. A recent convert to Christianity, he walked long distances each day to attend Mass and care for his family. His days were ordinary, shaped by work, prayer, and responsibility.

One morning, while crossing Tepeyac Hill, San Juan Diego heard a gentle voice calling his name. The woman who appeared spoke to him with tenderness, in his own language, and asked him to carry a message to the bishop: a church was to be built on that hill.

San Juan Diego obeyed, even though he knew he might not be believed. The bishop asked for a sign. When San Juan Diego returned to Tepeyac, the woman instructed him to gather roses blooming out of season. He placed them in his tilma, a simple cloak worn by Indigenous men. When he opened it before the bishop, the roses spilled out and an image of Our Lady appeared on the tilma itself.

Through his faithful listening and quiet courage, a message of love and comfort was given to countless people.

What St. San Juan Diego Teaches Us Today

San Juan Diego’s life shows us that holiness grows through:

• listening with attention and care

• trusting God even when we feel small or uncertain

• returning again and again with patience

• carrying what God gives us, even when it feels heavy

He did not argue or demand recognition. He listened, he returned, and he trusted that God would work through his obedience.

Sharing His Story With Children

When sharing St. San Juan Diego’s story with children, it helps to focus on his attentiveness and perseverance. Children understand what it means to be overlooked or doubted, and they can relate to the courage it takes to keep going.

Invite children to imagine what it felt like for San Juan Diego to listen carefully and to carry something precious with care. Encourage them to think about how they can listen for God’s voice through prayer, kindness, and helping others.

Simple conversations help make his story real and close to their own lives.

Simple activities help children connect St. San Juan Diego’s story to their own lives in gentle, meaningful ways.

• Listening Walk:Take a short walk outside and invite children to walk quietly for a few minutes. Ask them to notice sounds, sights, or feelings they experience. Afterwards, talk about how listening carefully helped San Juan Diego hear God’s message.

• Tilma of Trust:Give children a piece of paper shaped like a cloak or rectangle. Invite them to draw or write something they want to trust God with — a worry, a hope, or a prayer. Explain that San Juan Diego carried something precious in his tilma, just as we carry our prayers to God.

• Rose of Kindness:Draw or cut out paper roses. On each rose, write or draw one small act of kindness the child can offer that week. Place them in a bowl or on a table as a reminder that God’s love often grows through simple, loving actions.

• Short Prayer Together:Pray simply:“God, help me listen with my heart and trust You like St. San Juan Diego.”

Child-Friendly Version

For a child-friendly version of St. San Juan Diego’s story, along with activities and printables for home or classroom use, visit our St. San Juan Diego Saint Resource Page.

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