Attend summer tribute at Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine
Highlights of this weekend's second annual summer tribute at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 1170 N. River Road in Des Plaines, include a Mass at 1 p.m. Sunday said by Cardinal Alberto Suárez Inda from the Archdiocese of Morelia, Mexico, and a concert featuring the "Siervas," or the "Servants," at 8 p.m. Saturday.
The three-day celebration is designed to encourage more visitors to the shrine during the summer months. Thousands of pilgrims visit the shrine every year during Our Lady of Guadalupe's feast day Dec. 12.
"Servants" is a group of Latin-American religious order sisters from Peru, who sing pop/rock and Latin infused Catholic music. They performed for Pope Francis on his visit to Mexico. This will be their first concert in the United States.
General admission concert tickets are $20, VIP tickets are $35. To purchase tickets or for information, go to www.santuarioguadalupe.org.
Admission to other events over the weekend is free. It begins with an opening Mass at 7 p.m. Friday celebrated by the Rev. Guadalupe Santos, a native of Jalisco, Mexico.
At 5:30 p.m. Saturday, the "Voces en el Desierto," a young adult musical group assembled from various parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Chicago, will perform, and at 6:20 p.m., the Rev. Santos will provide a reflection on God's mercy.
At 7:10 p.m., the Revs. Juan Carlos "Father Monchy" Neira and Nestor Torres will perform songs in honor of Our Lady. The evening concludes with the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at 10 p.m.
On Sunday, the shrine will offer Masses at 9 and 11 a.m. and 1, 4 and 6 p.m., with a special Healing Mass at 7 p.m. celebrated by the Rev. Andres Beltran, associate pastor at the shrine for three years. He will begin a new assignment at St. Genevieve parish in Chicago on July 1.
The 1 p.m. Mass celebrated by Cardinal Inda will be attended by the Illinois Federation of Michoacan Clubs and will be followed by music and folk dances.
The shrine has attracted millions of people as a place of pilgrimage. A campaign is underway to raise funds to build an indoor worship space to accommodate the more than 6,000 worshippers that visit on a weekly basis.