One evening when I was assisting a little girl in writing her first book, Happy Audrey, I found myself in a dilemma. Since Audrey was only five-and-a-half years old, her little hands might not be able to copy the Hail Mary Prayer into the middle of the partially-designed page. There and then, just as I was asking God for guidance, she started to draw a chapel on the empty space, which was totally unexpected. 
 
This little child’s idea was perfect. To my amazement, Audrey completed drawing the chapel and a tall tree in three minutes, even though she was very tired since it was about 10.00pm. The rough pinkish chapel looked romantic, liberal and rustic. It looked Mexican in style.
 
Then an idea came to me. Instead of praying to St. Rita of the Impossible for special intentions, I proposed to Audrey’s family that they pray a novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe for their intercessions (Guadalupe means river of light). They agreed. We prayed novena for two months in a row. 
 
What was the result? Did our Lord grant the request of Audrey’s family? The answer was no. Disappointed? Surely, no. For God granted the family something even better. They never had the slightest inkling that Our Lady of Guadalupe had been watching and helping them since May last year. It was not until September this year that the family pieced together all the seeming coincidences after a priest from the Guadalupe Missioners of Mexico visited them. 
 
Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego 466 years ago (1532) and asked him to build a church, Audrey built a chapel on paper on her own initiative. 
 
She appeared to Juan Diego four times and did the same with Audrey’s family. How? 
 
First, Our Lady of Guadalupe inspired Audrey’s grandaunt to open up the path of getting to know her through the novena last year. 
 
Second, Our Lady of Guadalupe sent Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha to help Audrey put her Hungry Kids Charity Project on the Facebook page of the Pro-Life Ministry of the Diocesan Pastoral Commission for Marriage and the Family and interviewed her at the annual Hong Kong Book Fair. 
 
Third, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Audrey through a scroll with her image, which was given as a gift in the beginning of this year.
 
Finally, Our Lady of Guadalupe sent her child, Father Juan Arcos Soto (Father Szeto), a Guadalupe Missioner, to visit Audrey’s family in September. 
 
The strange thing is that Father Juan was neither Audrey’s parish priest nor a friend of the family. He was just a visitor who was introduced by a friend of Audrey’s mother. On top of this, he and the Native American who saw Our Lady of Guadalupe four times bear the same first name. Both are named Juan.
 
Thanks so much to Our Lady of Guadalupe for her constant loving intercessions and her bright shining light leading us to Jesus.
 
Thanks so much to Our Lady of Guadalupe for sending Grandaunt Kitty, Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha, Connie Chan, May Leung and Father Juan Arcos Soto (Father Szeto) to let Audrey experience the loving kindness of the Lord. 
 
Thanks so much to Our Lady of Guadalupe who, through her intercessions, brought a bright, vibrant and abundant life to Audrey’s family. 
 
We are forever grateful to Our Lady of Guadalupe! 
 
 
 
Grandaunt Kitty
Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe 
12 December 2018