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Thousands pray to Our Lady Of Guadalupe in Des Plaines

Maria Reza regularly comes to pray at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines throughout the year. It's no wonder that Reza's last name, translated from Spanish, means "pray" and her middle name is Guadalupe.

But her arrival at the shrine late Friday night - on foot, with some 70 other pilgrims from St. Colette Parish in Rolling Meadows - is extra special this time of year.

They joined thousands of other Catholics to celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, when believers come to pray and satisfy their mandas, or promises, made to the Virgin Mary for considering their wishes.

The overnight celebration honoring the Patroness of the Americas began with a 6 p.m. Mass Friday and was set to continue through Saturday night with a series of Masses, music and folkloric dances.

"It's very important, especially this time, because we have a lot of necessities," said Reza, president of St. Colette's Hispanic Committee. "You know, the whole world is upside-down. A lot of killings and drugs and stuff. We as Catholics offer a little sacrifice to the Virgin Mary so she can intercede for us to our Lord and he can help us."

"There's a lot of miracles every single day by just praying, offering a little sacrifice to them."

The outdoor shrine, on the campus of Maryville Academy at 1100 North River Road, is the only place in the world outside of the Basilica in Mexico City where believers can satisfy their mandas, according to the church.

A 12-foot-tall replica statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe that came from Mexico City sits in the shrine. Former Maryville director the Rev. John Smyth accepted the statue from Joaquim Martinez, a parishioner from a church in Northbrook, in 1988. Only 10 people showed up for the first feast day Mass, but the crowds have grown over time.

Some 140,000 attended the two-day event last year, and Des Plaines police were preparing for crowds of up to 200,000 this year, thanks to unseasonably mild temperatures in the 50s.

On Friday night, parishioners arrived to the shrine to place bouquets of flowers and candles at the outdoor grotto, which includes the statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe and one of Juan Diego, the Mexican peasant Catholics believe spoke to Mary on Dec. 12, 1531, on a hill outside Mexico City. That's where they say she told him to build a church in her honor.

Leaders of the Des Plaines-based shrine had hoped to build a basilica at the corner of Central and River roads that would be second in size only to the one in Mexico City.

But the Rev. Adan Sandoval, the shrine's new administrator and director of the archdiocesan Consejo Hispano, said Friday the plans have been shelved because the basilica's price tag - $60 million - was deemed to be too much.

"Maybe someday it's doable, but (archdiocese officials) consulted the right people and they thought it might not be the right time to build a $60 million basilica when we're closing many other churches and schools," Sandoval said.

Instead, the archdiocese is moving forward with plans to renovate an old gymnasium on Maryville's campus, where five Masses are given in Spanish every Sunday. The new worship space will include pews, a new altar, stained glass windows, a new steeple and a skylight.

Some $2 million raised for the basilica since those plans were announced in July 2013 will be put toward the estimated $3 million cost to renovate the gym, Sandoval said.

He's hopeful the renovated worship space will be complete in time for next year's feast day.

The basilica was the vision of longtime shrine rector the Rev. Marco Mercado, who was removed from his position in October for having an "inappropriate relationship with an adult man," archdiocese officials said at the time.

Sandoval said he expects to hear by January whether he or someone else will become permanent rector of the shrine.

At 8 p.m. Friday, the annual lighting of the Antorcha Guadalupana, or Guadalupe Torch, began with members of Catholic parishes throughout the archdiocese lighting torches to run back to their churches. There, they planned to attend a feast day Mass early Saturday morning.

Some torch bearers were going as far as St. Agnes of Bohemia in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood and St. Donatus in South suburban Blue Island.

Throngs of pilgrims, like the contingent from St. Colette, were arriving to the shrine late Friday in time for the singing of "mananitas," the traditional serenade to Our Lady of Guadalupe, at midnight. Groups from St. Cecilia in Mount Prospect, St. Joseph the Worker in Wheeling and MisiĆ³n San Juan Diego in Arlington Heights were also expected to come to the shrine by foot Friday night.

Masses were scheduled almost every two hours in both the outdoor grotto and gymnasium, concluding with a 7 p.m. Mass Saturday.

Images: Our Lady of Guadalupe celebration in Des Plaines

  Luis Gonzalez of Chicago leads off the Guadalupe torch at the honoring of Our Lady of Guadalupe festival in Des Plaines on Friday. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Actors in colorful costumes prepare to dance at the Our Lady of Guadalupe festival in Des Plaines on Friday. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago Alberto Rojas leads off the Guadalupe Mass honoring at the Our Lady of Guadalupe festival in Des Plaines on Friday. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Parishioners pray during the Mass at the Our Lady of Guadalupe festival in Des Plaines on Friday. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Thousands of parishioners attend the Our Lady of Guadalupe festival in Des Plaines on Friday. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Sara Casillas, 9, of Des Plaines prays at the Our Lady of Guadalupe festival in Des Plaines on Friday. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
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