Thousands journey to Des Plaines to express faith, give thanks

It's after 6 a.m. Friday, her 60th birthday, and Maria Guadalupe Reyes has been up for 24 hours.

Belying tiredness, she is bright-eyed and upbeat, and says she looks forward to staying up until evening to continue celebrating the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Des Plaines.

"I have been doing this for the last 14 years," says Reyes, of Des Plaines. "It's a pleasure to be here with (the Virgin), to celebrate her day with her and to know that we are here honoring her in such a grand way."

Reyes was among tens of thousands of residents of Chicago and the suburbs - the overwhelming majority of Mexican descent - who braved subfreezing temperatures to spend the Friday religious holiday at the outdoor shrine on the grounds of the Maryville Academy in Des Plaines. Police and church officials were expecting a crowd of about 100,000 to show up over the two-day event, which was to end late Friday night.

Celebrations began at 6 p.m. Thursday with a rosary, followed by an opening Mass at 8 p.m., fireworks, a candlelight procession, "mañanitas," or traditional religious songs sung at midnight, and again Mass at 12:30 a.m.

Throughout the evening, a constant stream of people slowly made their way to the foot of the Virgin of Guadalupe's 12-foot statue, pausing to pray and pay their respects, and then made their way into the gym for Mass and confession, or forgiveness of sins, said Rev. Gerardo Cabral, a native of Mexico who flew to Chicago for the occasion. It was his first time in Des Plaines, he said.

"I am impressed by the faith, the enthusiasm and the joy of the people," he said. "I spent four hours giving confession, then I took a break, and then I did it for three more hours. I will do more this afternoon after I sleep a little."

The Virgin of Guadalupe is Mexico's most iconic religious image, and Friday parishes and churches throughout the country commemorated the apparition of the Virgin to S. Juan Diego outside Mexico City in 1531.

But unlike in Mexico, where midnight mass is typically followed by "a big party" with music, dancing and drinking, the celebration at the Des Plaines shrine is more solemn and thoughtful, said Eliselda Angelino, of Maywood, who spent Thursday night there with her husband and their three-year-old son.

"I like it much better here, because here you come to be with her," she said. "It's very beautiful."

Some took their devotion a step further. Alicia Gutierrez, 55, her daughter Norma Cruz, 32, and granddaughter Vanessa Sanchez, 9, were part of a crowd of about 1,000 who walked 18 miles through the night from Our Lady of Lourdes church in Chicago. The group prayed and sang religious songs during their seven-hour pilgrimage, arriving in Des Plaines just before 5 a.m.

"I'm not going to sleep today. I work in a hospice and I have to be at work at 2 p.m.," said Cruz, wrapped in a thick white blanket to stave off the cold. "But it was worth it. This is what one has to do - one has to give vows to the Virgin."

In these hard economic times, it is especially important to seek refuge in one's faith, said José Tinoco, of Elgin. He and his wife Mercedes took the day off from their factory jobs to come to 5 a.m. Mass.

"We came here to say thanks to the Virgin, but also to pray for all of humanity because this world is doing worse each day," he said.

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