Prevod
V tej deželi je mnogo krajev, kjer so se zgodili verski čudeži, čeprav se francoska Kanada in stara Mehika ponašata s še več takšnimi. Še v tako vsakdanjem letu, kot je bilo leto 1889, so videli Devico, kako se je spustila na ulice Johnstowna v Pensilvaniji, da bi rešila svojo podobo na tamkajšnji katoliški cerkvi, ko je kraj zajela povodenj, v kateri je umrlo na stotine ljudi. Prav takšno povodenj je pred mnogimi leti v Novi Mehiki povzročila jeza Madone. V stari cerkvi Naše Gospe iz Guadalupeja v Santa Feju je slika, ki spominja na prikazanje Device Juanu Diegu, Indijancu iz Guadalupeja v stari Mehiki, v šestnajstem stoletju. Ukazala je, naj ji zgradijo kapelo, toda škof tamkajšnje škofije je izjavil, da se je možu le sanjalo, in mu velel, naj odide. Devica se je Indijancu spet prikazala, a škof je še vedno zatrjeval, da nima nobenega dokaza o resničnosti njegovih besed. Nadnaravna obiskovalka se je prikazala še tretjič in Juanu naročila, naj se povzpne na neko težko dostopno goro, nabere cvetlice, ki jih bo našel tam, in jih odnese škofu.
Po dolgem in nevarnem vzponu je Indijanec na svoje začudenje našel cvetlice, ki so rasle v snegu. Z njimi je napolnil svojo odejo in se vrnil v škofovsko rezidenco, ko pa je pred dostojanstvenikom razgrnil njene gube, je bil še bolj osupel: namesto cvetlic je na odeji zagledal naslikano žarečo podobo. Ta zdaj visi v Guadalupeju, njena kopija pa je v Santa Feju, kjer hranijo tudi kip Device. Ti dragocenosti sta zelo cenjeni in ljudje se k njima zatekajo ob boleznih in grozečih nesrečah; ko se bliža deževna doba, nosijo kip v procesiji po ulicah. Tedaj zbirajo denarne darove in molijo za dež, Devica pa se na te prošnje nemudoma odzove, tako da duhovniki zmagoslavno kažejo na sadove svojega posredovanja. Neko leto pa dež ni prišel ob pravem času, čeprav so pred sveto sliko in svetim kipom skoraj neprenehoma opravljali bogoslužje, zato so jezni ljudje s kipa strgali svilo in zlate čipke ter ga ure in ure brcali po tleh. Tisto noč je začelo silovito deževati in mesto je skoraj odplaknilo, zato so prebivalci pohiteli z zadoščevanjem, da bi si rešili življenje. Kip so očistili, ga oblekli še razkošneje in na Devico naslovili svoje molitve z večjo vnemo in iskrenostjo kot kdaj prej.
Izvirnik
Many are the scenes of religious miracles in this country, although French Canada and old Mexico boast of more. So late as the prosaic year of 1889 the Virgin was seen to descend into the streets of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, to save her image on the Catholic church in that place, when it was swept by a deluge in which hundreds of persons perished. It was the wrath of the Madonna that caused just such a flood in New Mexico long years ago. There is in the old Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Santa Fe, a picture that commemorates the appearance of the Virgin to Juan Diego, an Indian in Guadalupe, old Mexico, in the sixteenth century. She commanded that a chapel should be built for her, but the bishop of the diocese declared that the man had been dreaming and told him to go away. The Virgin came to the Indian again, and still the bishop declared that he had no evidence of the truth of what he said. A third time the supernatural visitor appeared, and told Juan to climb a certain difficult mountain, pick the flowers he would find there, and take them to the bishop.
After a long and dangerous climb they were found, to the Indian's amazement, growing in the snow. He filled his blanket with them and returned to the episcopal residence, but when he opened the folds before the dignitary, he was more amazed to find not flowers, but a glowing picture painted on his blanket. It hangs now in Guadalupe, but is duplicated in Santa Fe, where a statue of the Virgin is also kept. These treasures are greatly prized and are resorted to in time of illness and threatened disaster, the statue being taken through the streets in procession when the rainy season is due. Collections of money are then made and prayers are put up for rain, to which appeals the Virgin makes prompt response, the priests pointing triumphantly to the results of their intercession. One year, however, the rain did not begin on time, though services were almost constantly continued before the sacred picture and the sacred statue, and the angry people stripped the image of its silks and gold lace and kicked it over the ground for hours. That night a violent rain set in and the town was nearly washed away, so the populace hastened the work of reparation in order to save their lives. They cleansed the statue, dressed it still more brilliantly, and addressed their prayers to the Virgin with more energy and earnestness than ever before.
