IMAGE OF GUADALUPE MAKING TOUR IN AREA

The Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be on display in area Catholic churches from Thursday through Nov. 21.

Places, times and dates of the tour follow:

St. Denis at Benton, 1 p.m. Nov. 17 to 9 a.m. Nov. 18.

St. Francis Xavier in Sikeston, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Nov. 18.

St. Mary's in Mound City, Ill., 7-9 p.m. Nov. 18.

St. Mary's Cathedral in Cape Girardeau, 8 a.m. mass with rosary novena message by Msgr. Richard Rolwing, close with visitation at 1 p.m. Nov. 19.

Sacred Heart in Poplar Bluff, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 19 to 12:30 p.m. Nov. 20.

St. Vincent's in Perryville, 4 p.m. Nov. 20 to 9 a.m. Nov. 21.

A spokesperson says hundreds visit the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Mexico every day, and that the Missionary Image of the tilma tours the United States sharing the message of Our Lady -- one of conversion and an end to abortion. Guadalupe means River of Light.

The tilma is the cloak of Indian peasant Juan Diego, which Catholics says was emblazoned by the blessed mother's apparition back in 1531 as a sign to the bishop of Mexico City.

The image is a 4-by-6-foot photographic replica of the tilma and is a gift from the Catholics of Mexico to the Catholics of the United States. It has been touring the United States since June 1991.

It is said to be the only portrait of Our Lady in the world that was created by the blessed mother.

The spokesperson emphasizes that the tilma has been examined by many art experts who have agreed that the painting is beyond human achievement because of the unsuitability of the fiber, lack of sizing, perfection of symmetry, composition, drawing, and the use of four different media.

Scientists say the fact that the tilma still exists intact today defies explanation, because the fabric would normally deteriorate in 20 years.