One day too late

Today the Church provides an optional memorial to pray with Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin.  Very little is known about the life of this Mexican aboriginal before his conversion to Catholicism, yet he is famous because he is the peasant to whom Mary appeared in the Tepeyac dessert near Mexico City.  This apparition is commemoriated on December 12 (that's next Monday) as the Virgin of Guadalupe.

This morning, I set out to visit the nearby high school.  Normally, I am there on Thursdays but yesterday saw me busy with other matters, so off I went, only to discover today that although the students are in classes, the chaplain who I would normally meet is at another location today.  These are relatively informal visits (for the most part) so after spending just a few moments to greet arriving students and staff, I left the school.  No problem: the students are scheduled to celebrate Mass here next week, so maybe then I'll be able to tell them about today's Mexican saint (unless of course there is some other focus that might take over the spotlight, like Advent or some other hero in faith).