On our very recent visit to Mexico City we had the rare opportunity to visit the Convent of Concepcion Cabrera de Armida.  We received an extensive tour by an older Sister of the Order and enjoyed our visit very much.  Our visit, along with our visit with Dr. Hernandez Illescas and Monsignor Salazar was arranged by member Helga of Mexico City.  We have the privilege too, of going out to lunch with her on Saturday.

On the last Tuesday evening of our trip we were invited for dinner to the home of Dr. Juan Homero Hernnández Illescas.  He is the author of several books and articles on Guadalupe, Basilica Secretary and Webmaster for the Interlupe Web Site.  We were given a copy of the book, "La Virgen de Guadalupe y las Estrellas," authored by the Doctor and Monsignor Salazar.  We were also given a copy of "La Virgen de Guadalupe y la Proporcion Dorada," also authored by the Doctor and Monsignor Salazar and put out by the Centro de Estudios Guadalupanos, with a forward by +Norberto Card. Rivera Carrea.  We were also given a copy of "The Mexican Image Eyes from the Guadaupe Virgen," by Monsignor Salazar.

Dr. Juan Homero Hernández Illescas. has worked for more than twenty years on the canonization of Juan Diego.  He has an observatory, complete with dome, on the roof of his house in Mexico City.  He wrote the book on the stars that appear on the image of Mary.  Their position corresponds to the position of the stars at the exact hour when Mary appeared to Juan Diego.  He also authored the medical report on the young man who was cured after his fall from a third story balcony onto the street below.  It was a wonderful visit.  The Doctor has a collection of more than 2000 art objects, including originals by Picasso and Diego Rivera, along with a great collection of pre-Columbian art.  He gave me a meteorite, a gift from the heavens!  (-:

Also in attendance was Mons. Lic. Enrique R. Salazar S. Director General of the Basilica, and Pbro. Cango. Luis Avila Blancas,  C.O. a coordinator.  Member Helga, the one who helped set up the dinner was present too, along with a friend who is part of Mexican Catholic Television.

Our dinner was just two days after Pope John Paul II announced his July visit to canonize Juan Diego.  You can imagine the excitement.  It was also the same day that Mons. Guillermo Schulemburg P., the XXI Abad de Guadalupe announced that he had sent a letter to Pope John Paul II, purporting that Juan Diego never existed.  He seemed to want to save the credibility of Infallibility.  You can imagine that this provided some lively conversation.

During the course of our visit, the Doctor discovered an article written by Monsignor Shulemburg in 1968 and printed in the magazine "Artes de Mexico," that presented the exact opposite opinion, the one held and published by Monsignor Shulemburg in 1968. 

We were invited the next morning to Father Blancas' Church, "La Profesa" in the Centro Historico for a tour of the Church and it's very old and valuable art collection, then a 15 minute trip to a diorama of wax figures Father Blancas is working on ... an explanation of the Guadalupe apparition.  We were surprised that the Doctor's wife showed up, likely to help us with Spanish.  She obtained a copy of the published article from Father Blancas.  After the tour she drove to the Basilica to Fax the article to Pope John Paul II.  We were given a copy of the article in English before it was Faxed to Pope John Paul II.