Estela Ruiz
Encyclopedia
Estela Ruiz is an alleged Marian visionary in Phoenix, Arizona
.
, the daughter of Mañuel and Delfina Aguilera. Her father was a sometimes-unemployed
alcoholic
, and her mother's business supported the household. Her father verbally and emotionally abused her mother, who in turn vented her frustration on Ruiz, on whom she relied for support. When Ruiz was sixteen, her mother made a promesa to the Virgin of Guadalupe
that if her eldest son Inocensio, Ruiz's older brother, survived his illness, she would scale Mount Cristo Rey in pilgrimage
. Inocensio recovered and Aguilera took Ruiz along on this climb, where Ruiz felt a "mysterious force" lifting her up the mountain despite her fatigue. Though the family was Catholic
before, following Inocensio's recovery the household devotion to the Church and to the Virgin of Guadalupe grew even stronger. While in her thirties, her mother developed and recovered from endometrial cancer
, which she interpreted as her "cross to bear". The anthropologist Kristy Nabhan-Warren views Delfina Aguilera's "physical and marital suffering" as an enactment "in her own relationship with Jesus and the Virgin of Guadalupe." The relationship between suffering and religion had a profound impact on Ruiz's understanding of life. A car accident twenty-five years later that led to her father's recovery from alcoholism allowed him to have a better relationship with her mother and to be a grandfather to Ruiz's children.
, became a representative in the Arizona House of Representatives
and later in the Arizona State Senate. After her children had all grown, Ruiz decided to return to school and focus on her career. She earned a Bachelor's degree
in education from Ottawa University
in Phoenix, and enrolled in a Master's of Education
program at Northern Arizona University
. In the early 1970s, she was hired to work for the Murphy School District in Phoenix and worked her way up the bureaucratic ladder to become superintendent of the district's bilingual programs
.
When her mother later began suffering as a result of the radiation therapy, Ruiz drove daily from her Phoenix workplace to the hospital in Lordsburg. She developed the same symptoms as her mother, whose death made Ruiz feel that she was going to die also. While she didn't die, she did realized how dependent she had been on her mother. She became determined to succeed in her career and started attending assertiveness-training courses offered at the hospital. The courses helped her to increase her self esteem, set goals, separate herself from her mother, and feel like she was in control of her life. According to Ruiz, this sense of control was illusory: "I didn't realize that it was God who was in control, I actually thought I was the one in control, can you believe it?!"
Meanwhile, her husband Reyes, who had long been involved in many Catholic activities, including the encuentro movement of Spanish-speaking Catholics in the United States, the Catholic farmworkers rights
campaigns, and prison ministries, forged ties with Father Jack Spaulding of St. Maria Goretti
Church in Scottsdale
and his group of nine young Marian visionaries. In 1988, he accompanied Father Spaulding to Medugorje
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
, where the Virgin Mary appeared to six youths beginning in 1981. While in Medugorje, Reyes prayed that his wife would help lead the family down a more spiritual path.
Despite her religious upbringing, Ruiz describes herself at the time as a skeptic
and a "Sunday morning Catholic". A successful, sophisticated woman, Ruiz was embarrassed by Reyes' religiosity and was jealous of his affection for the dark-skinned Virgin. While her husband was gone, Ruiz almost took down the icon of the Virgin of Guadalupe (painted by Reyes) that hung in their home. She decided to leave it up, however, and the next day as she walked past the painting, she heard it wish her a good morning. She dismissed the greeting as a figment of her imagination or a signal of mental instability. The next week, the painting greeted her again, and Ruiz felt a sensation that the voice was coming from the Virgin Mary. Following the two auditory experiences, Ruiz began waking up early with a strong desire to attend six o'clock mass
. By the time Reyes returned, he found his wife much more open to his spirituality, and when he asked for her help to spiritually revitalize the family, she agreed.
Shortly thereafter, Ruiz had two dream
s of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Ruiz later interpreted these dreams as preparation for her first vision.
. Ruiz in particular was praying for her son Reyes Jr., who was struggling with cocaine
addiction
and for Fernando and Leticia's marriage. During the final decade, Ruiz says she saw a light emanating from a portrait of the Immaculate Heart of Mary that grew brighter until it forced her to close her eyes. At that moment, the Virgin spoke to her: "Don't you know that I am going to take care of your children?" Ruiz was overcome with emotion and began to cry, calling out, "Qué linda! Qué linda!" ("She's beautiful! She's beautiful!").
, and to greater community of "the Americas" via Ruiz, sometimes speaking in English
and sometimes in Spanish
. The majority of the messages focus on the necessity of prayer
, especially of the rosary, and on the need to evangelize
and "fight Satan
" in order to make the world a better place. Some have interpreted the demand to improve the world as necessary prepare the world for the second coming
of Jesus Christ. She also demanded a shrine, which the family built in their back yard during the next year. The shrine includes of a painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a painting of Our Lady of the Americas by Reyes, and a life-sized wooden crucifix, also by Reyes.
Ruiz wanted to drop out of school and immediately dedicate herself to the Virgin's work. Instead, she claims the Virgin counseled her to finish her program. She and her family spent the rest of the year "working on themselves", spiritually preparing themselves to go public with the messages. When they did, the Phoenix diocese
investigated their claims and ultimately neither sanctioned nor disavowed them.
Chile
; Sullana, and Lima
, Peru
; Cuenca
, Ecuador
; Hirador, Southern Colombia
, Franca
, Brazil
; Hermosillo
, Sonora
, Mexico and in the Mexican
states
of Coahuila
and Durango
.
The desire for spiritual improvement led to a will to better the lives of people "in the world", which spawned several organizations. The ESPIRITU Community Development Corporation (ECDC), an outgrowth of Mary's Ministries, is a community development association designed to alleviate the suffering that results from the poverty
of the barrio. The ECDC helps finance the development of low-income housing and lobbies for commercial development in the South Phoenix area, but its main function is to develop international, principle-based, servant leaders, which is in part accomplished by running the NFL Youth Education Town (NFL-YET), one of Arizona's first and largest charter school
s, and its satellite campus in Safford
. In Africa, Mary's Ministries has a missionary (Mary house) in Uganda, in East Africa, with 5 missionaries carrying forward Mary's Ministries' mission.
The NFL-YET, formerly called Esperanza Montessori Academy, was enlarged to serve over 600 students after receiving a million-dollar grant from the NFL in 1996.
Show and on the Sally Jessy Raphaël
Show in the early 1990s and since then has traveled extensively to share her experiences. As a result the shrine became one of the most frequented sites of the 1990s. The family also celebrates the anniversary of the first apparition, a celebration that has changed over time. While clergy have always been involved with the family and the phenomenon, the Church has become more involved over time as the shrine and Mary's Ministries have become more institutional. A procession
was instituted in 1990, during which processioners carry holy images, statues, and crosses, sing hymns, and sprinkle holy water in the crime-ridden streets of South Phoenix. The hearing of confessions began in the early 1990s, and Mass and the Eucharist began in 1998. Attendance at the yearly celebration grew, peaking at about one thousand for the reading of the final message in 1998. Afterwards, the shrine was converted into an enclosed chapel, and the yard surrounding it was fenced in. Instead of being open to the community at all times, where it was one of the few neutral zones for South Phoenix's gangs, the chapel is now only open at certain hours. And since the final message, the yearly celebration has become more of a retreat for Mary's Ministries members, although the Matachina
dancers who attended the first celebration and performed for the Virgin of Guadalupe still attend.
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
.
Early life
Ruiz grew up in Lordsburg, New MexicoLordsburg, New Mexico
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 3,379 people, 1,220 households, and 854 families residing in the city. The population density was 403.1 people per square mile . There were 1,414 housing units at an average density of 168.7 per square mile...
, the daughter of Mañuel and Delfina Aguilera. Her father was a sometimes-unemployed
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, and her mother's business supported the household. Her father verbally and emotionally abused her mother, who in turn vented her frustration on Ruiz, on whom she relied for support. When Ruiz was sixteen, her mother made a promesa to the Virgin of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe , also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary.According to tradition, on December 9, 1531 Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert, near Mexico City. The lady...
that if her eldest son Inocensio, Ruiz's older brother, survived his illness, she would scale Mount Cristo Rey in pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
. Inocensio recovered and Aguilera took Ruiz along on this climb, where Ruiz felt a "mysterious force" lifting her up the mountain despite her fatigue. Though the family was Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
before, following Inocensio's recovery the household devotion to the Church and to the Virgin of Guadalupe grew even stronger. While in her thirties, her mother developed and recovered from endometrial cancer
Endometrial cancer
Endometrial cancer refers to several types of malignancies that arise from the endometrium, or lining, of the uterus. Endometrial cancers are the most common gynecologic cancers in the United States, with over 35,000 women diagnosed each year. The incidence is on a slow rise secondary to the...
, which she interpreted as her "cross to bear". The anthropologist Kristy Nabhan-Warren views Delfina Aguilera's "physical and marital suffering" as an enactment "in her own relationship with Jesus and the Virgin of Guadalupe." The relationship between suffering and religion had a profound impact on Ruiz's understanding of life. A car accident twenty-five years later that led to her father's recovery from alcoholism allowed him to have a better relationship with her mother and to be a grandfather to Ruiz's children.
Pre-apparition
Ruiz married Reyes Ruiz, a man who had been a devotee of the Virgin of Guadalupe since the age of seven. The two had six children, four of whom graduated from institutes of higher education. One of their sons, Armando RuizArmando Ruiz
Juan Armando Ruiz Hernandez is a lawyer from Mexico City, who represents Mexico in the 2010 Paralympics, under the Alpine skiing discipline and represented Mexico in the 2006 Paralympics...
, became a representative in the Arizona House of Representatives
Arizona House of Representatives
The Arizona House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its members are elected to two-year terms with a term limit of four consecutive terms...
and later in the Arizona State Senate. After her children had all grown, Ruiz decided to return to school and focus on her career. She earned a Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in education from Ottawa University
Ottawa University
Ottawa University is a private, non-profit, faith-based liberal arts college located in Ottawa, Kansas. It was founded in 1865 and is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA...
in Phoenix, and enrolled in a Master's of Education
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
program at Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University is a public university located in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and has 39 satellite campuses in the state of Arizona. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.As of...
. In the early 1970s, she was hired to work for the Murphy School District in Phoenix and worked her way up the bureaucratic ladder to become superintendent of the district's bilingual programs
Bilingual education
Bilingual education involves teaching academic content in two languages, in a native and secondary language with varying amounts of each language used in accordance with the program model.-Bilingual education program models:...
.
When her mother later began suffering as a result of the radiation therapy, Ruiz drove daily from her Phoenix workplace to the hospital in Lordsburg. She developed the same symptoms as her mother, whose death made Ruiz feel that she was going to die also. While she didn't die, she did realized how dependent she had been on her mother. She became determined to succeed in her career and started attending assertiveness-training courses offered at the hospital. The courses helped her to increase her self esteem, set goals, separate herself from her mother, and feel like she was in control of her life. According to Ruiz, this sense of control was illusory: "I didn't realize that it was God who was in control, I actually thought I was the one in control, can you believe it?!"
Meanwhile, her husband Reyes, who had long been involved in many Catholic activities, including the encuentro movement of Spanish-speaking Catholics in the United States, the Catholic farmworkers rights
United Farm Workers
The United Farm Workers of America is a labor union created from the merging of two groups, the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee led by Filipino organizer Larry Itliong, and the National Farm Workers Association led by César Chávez...
campaigns, and prison ministries, forged ties with Father Jack Spaulding of St. Maria Goretti
Maria Goretti
Maria Goretti is an Italian virgin-martyr of the Roman Catholic Church, and is one of its youngest canonized saints. She died from multiple stab wounds inflicted by her attempted rapist after she refused him...
Church in Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
and his group of nine young Marian visionaries. In 1988, he accompanied Father Spaulding to Medugorje
Medugorje
Međugorje or Medjugorje is a town located in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Herzegovina region around 25 km southwest of Mostar and close to the border of Croatia. Since 1981, it has become a popular site of religious pilgrimage due to reports of apparitions of the Virgin Mary to six...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, where the Virgin Mary appeared to six youths beginning in 1981. While in Medugorje, Reyes prayed that his wife would help lead the family down a more spiritual path.
Despite her religious upbringing, Ruiz describes herself at the time as a skeptic
Religious skepticism
Religious skepticism is a type of skepticism relating to religion, but should not be confused with atheism. Religious skeptics question religious authority and are not necessarily anti-religious but are those skeptical of a specific or all religious beliefs or practices. Some are deists, believing...
and a "Sunday morning Catholic". A successful, sophisticated woman, Ruiz was embarrassed by Reyes' religiosity and was jealous of his affection for the dark-skinned Virgin. While her husband was gone, Ruiz almost took down the icon of the Virgin of Guadalupe (painted by Reyes) that hung in their home. She decided to leave it up, however, and the next day as she walked past the painting, she heard it wish her a good morning. She dismissed the greeting as a figment of her imagination or a signal of mental instability. The next week, the painting greeted her again, and Ruiz felt a sensation that the voice was coming from the Virgin Mary. Following the two auditory experiences, Ruiz began waking up early with a strong desire to attend six o'clock mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
. By the time Reyes returned, he found his wife much more open to his spirituality, and when he asked for her help to spiritually revitalize the family, she agreed.
Shortly thereafter, Ruiz had two dream
Dream
Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
s of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Ruiz later interpreted these dreams as preparation for her first vision.
First apparition
On the night of December 3, 1988, Ruiz, Reyes, their son Fernando, and Fernando's wife Leticia, who was pregnant with their fourth child, were all praying the RosaryRosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
. Ruiz in particular was praying for her son Reyes Jr., who was struggling with cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
addiction
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
and for Fernando and Leticia's marriage. During the final decade, Ruiz says she saw a light emanating from a portrait of the Immaculate Heart of Mary that grew brighter until it forced her to close her eyes. At that moment, the Virgin spoke to her: "Don't you know that I am going to take care of your children?" Ruiz was overcome with emotion and began to cry, calling out, "Qué linda! Qué linda!" ("She's beautiful! She's beautiful!").
Post-apparition
For the next ten years, Ruiz claimed that the Virgin appeared to at least weekly, and often daily. She identified herself as Our Lady of the Americas and relayed messages to the Ruiz family, the people of the barrioBarrio
Barrio is a Spanish word meaning district or neighborhood.-Usage:In its formal usage in English, barrios are generally considered cohesive places, sharing, for example, a church and traditions such as feast days...
, and to greater community of "the Americas" via Ruiz, sometimes speaking in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and sometimes in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. The majority of the messages focus on the necessity of prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
, especially of the rosary, and on the need to evangelize
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
and "fight Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
" in order to make the world a better place. Some have interpreted the demand to improve the world as necessary prepare the world for the second coming
Second Coming
In Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
of Jesus Christ. She also demanded a shrine, which the family built in their back yard during the next year. The shrine includes of a painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a painting of Our Lady of the Americas by Reyes, and a life-sized wooden crucifix, also by Reyes.
Ruiz wanted to drop out of school and immediately dedicate herself to the Virgin's work. Instead, she claims the Virgin counseled her to finish her program. She and her family spent the rest of the year "working on themselves", spiritually preparing themselves to go public with the messages. When they did, the Phoenix diocese
Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix
-History:The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix in Arizona is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It was established on December 2, 1969 when it was split off of the Diocese of Tucson...
investigated their claims and ultimately neither sanctioned nor disavowed them.
Mary's Ministries, ECDC, and NFL-YET
The Ruiz family began their evangelism through the creation of Mary's Ministries, a lay Catholic organization that runs leadership faith camps, and proselytizes. Mary's Ministries has branches in LinaresLinares, Chile
Linares is a Chilean city and commune located in the Maule Region and lies in the fertile Chilean Central Valley, south of Santiago and south of Talca, the regional capital...
Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
; Sullana, and Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
; Cuenca
Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca is the capital of the Azuay Province. It is located in the highlands of Ecuador at about 2500 m above sea level...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
; Hirador, Southern Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Franca
Franca
-Demography:*Total: 328.473 inhabitants on July 1, 2006.** Urban: 324.138** Rural: 6.999*Demographic density : 473,80*Child mortality until 1 year : 12,66 = 1,26%*Life expectancy : 73,03*Fertility : 2,26...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
; Hermosillo
Hermosillo
Hermosillo is a city and municipality located centrally in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the capital and main economic center for the state and region. It contains almost all of the state's manufacturing and has thirty percent of its population...
, Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, Mexico and in the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
states
States of Mexico
The United Mexican States is a federal republic formed by 32 federal entities .According to the Constitution of 1917, the states of the federation are free and sovereign. Each state has their own congress and constitution, while the Federal District has only limited autonomy with a local Congress...
of Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
and Durango
Durango
Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...
.
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
of the barrio. The ECDC helps finance the development of low-income housing and lobbies for commercial development in the South Phoenix area, but its main function is to develop international, principle-based, servant leaders, which is in part accomplished by running the NFL Youth Education Town (NFL-YET), one of Arizona's first and largest charter school
Charter school
Charter schools are primary or secondary schools that receive public money but are not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, which are set forth in each school's charter...
s, and its satellite campus in Safford
Safford, Arizona
- History :Safford was founded by Joshua Eaton Bailey, Hiram Kennedy and Edward Tuttle, who came from Gila Bend, in southwestern Arizona. They left Gila Bend in the winter of 1873-74; their work on canals and dams having been destroyed by high water the previous summer...
. In Africa, Mary's Ministries has a missionary (Mary house) in Uganda, in East Africa, with 5 missionaries carrying forward Mary's Ministries' mission.
The NFL-YET, formerly called Esperanza Montessori Academy, was enlarged to serve over 600 students after receiving a million-dollar grant from the NFL in 1996.
Yearly celebration at the shrine
The Ruizes' backyard shrine was an established pilgrimage site from 1989—1998. Ruiz appeared on the Geraldo RiveraGeraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera is an American attorney, journalist, author, reporter, and former talk show host...
Show and on the Sally Jessy Raphaël
Sally Jessy Raphaël
Sally Lowenthal , better known as Sally Jessy Raphael, is an American talk show host, known for the eponymous Sally talk show she hosted for two decades.-Early years:...
Show in the early 1990s and since then has traveled extensively to share her experiences. As a result the shrine became one of the most frequented sites of the 1990s. The family also celebrates the anniversary of the first apparition, a celebration that has changed over time. While clergy have always been involved with the family and the phenomenon, the Church has become more involved over time as the shrine and Mary's Ministries have become more institutional. A procession
Procession
A procession is an organized body of people advancing in a formal or ceremonial manner.-Procession elements:...
was instituted in 1990, during which processioners carry holy images, statues, and crosses, sing hymns, and sprinkle holy water in the crime-ridden streets of South Phoenix. The hearing of confessions began in the early 1990s, and Mass and the Eucharist began in 1998. Attendance at the yearly celebration grew, peaking at about one thousand for the reading of the final message in 1998. Afterwards, the shrine was converted into an enclosed chapel, and the yard surrounding it was fenced in. Instead of being open to the community at all times, where it was one of the few neutral zones for South Phoenix's gangs, the chapel is now only open at certain hours. And since the final message, the yearly celebration has become more of a retreat for Mary's Ministries members, although the Matachina
Matachines
Matachines are bands of Mexican mummers who wander from village to village or from house to house dancing and hosting several Roman Catholic celebrations. They are found in northern Mexico especially in La Laguna Region , Sinaloa, Monterrey, and Chihuahua...
dancers who attended the first celebration and performed for the Virgin of Guadalupe still attend.