KEY ISSUE: TIMING OF RAID

Raid came as Hispanics honor a symbol of hope

Federal immigration agents raided a Swift & Co. meatpacking plant in Marshalltown Tuesday on the day that many Hispanics pay tribute to a symbol of hope and protection.

National icon: The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a Catholic liturgical holy day, was celebrated Tuesday. For Mexicans, Our Lady of Guadalupe is a national symbol as well as a religious icon. Hispanics in the United States turn to her for spiritual support in an anti-immigrant climate.

Her story: The apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to the Aztec people at a time when they were powerless to sustain their culture under Spanish colonization. Legend has it that on Dec. 9, 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego, 57, a native Indian and recent Catholic convert. The apparition spoke to Diego in his native language, telling him to tell the bishop to build a shrine to honor her, "Ever Virgin Mary, Mother of the True God." At first disbelieved by the local bishop, Diego appealed to the lady for a sign three days later. She told him where to find a garden of flowers blooming in the snow. Gathering the flowers in his tilma (a long cloak made of coarse cactus fibers worn by Mexican Indians), he took them to the bishop to prove he was being truthful. When the flowers cascaded from his tilma, the now familiar depiction of Our Lady of Guadalupe remained on the cloth.

Influence on church: The miraculous event had a powerful influence on the growth of the Catholic Church in Mexico. In 1737, Our Lady of Guadalupe was officially designated as the patroness of Mexico City. She was named patroness of New Spain in 1746.

- Shirley Ragsdale, Register religion editor

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