Guadalupan Institute established in San Antonio, looks to be replicated throughout U.S.

A new Guadalupan Institute has taken its first steps in San Antonio with the aim of researching, providing education on, and disseminating the Guadalupe event, as well as becoming a model for replication throughout the United States.

Father Rafael Becerra, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in the San Antonio suburb of Helotes, Texas, explained to EWTN News Español, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News: “We want to research, provide formation on, and raise awareness about the entire Guadalupan event.”

A retreat and a Guadalupan certificate program have been the first steps, Becerra said, confident that the project can grow and become “a Guadalupan center for the United States.”

Becerra, a priest of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, noted that the “Truth about Guadalupe” certificate program began on Oct. 5 as an effort to “prepare ourselves for the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe,” which will be celebrated in 2031.

Assisting him in this project is Monsignor Eduardo Chávez , director of the Higher Institute of Guadalupan Studies in Mexico City and who is considered the leading expert on Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Chávez “is the one…