Cupich to lead Mass during Guadalupe observance
Archbishop Blase Cupich will celebrate the main Mass during the annual observance in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 11-12 at her shrine in Des Plaines.
More than 100,000 pilgrims are expected for the 36-hour event, held on the Maryville campus at Central and River roads — many of them coming on foot from as far away as Chicago to honor the Patroness of the Americas.
The Archdiocese of Chicago and the City of Des Plaines held a joint news conference Thursday, to announce that Cupich will celebrate the main Mass, held at 12:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 12, outside at the shrine. They did not say whether the Archbishop will speak in English or Spanish.
Auxiliary Bishop Alberto Rojas will lead a simultaneous Mass in the gym on the shrine campus.
The archdiocese is preparing for as many as 120,000 worshippers, said the Rev. Marco Mercado, rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Severe cold weather cut attendance to about 60,000 last year.
Des Plaines Police Chief William Kushner said his officers will be focused on safety, and moving cars and people around the site without incident. Warming centers will be available, though Kushner said he is hopeful about the milder weather forecast for this year.
“Father Marco will talk to the big boss about that,” he said.
Despite the huge numbers of people who attend, the crowds have always been respectful, Kushner said.
“The first year I was here, I was truly in awe of the number of people making the pilgrimage on foot and in vehicles,” he added.
Mercado, meanwhile, discouraged worshippers from walking to the shrine barefoot, about which he's heard rumors.
Mercado and Kushner touched on what they described as a miscommunication last year, in which the Our Lady shrine received a $30,000 bill for police services — instead of the $2,500 bill they had gotten in 2012.
The discrepancy arose because city officials billed the event using the same criteria as for other festivals rather than what had been previously agreed on. A compromise of $7,000 was reached for last year, which has been increased to $8,000 for this year.
Satellite parking will exist at five off-site locations, including Oakton Community College at 1600 E. Golf Road in Des Plaines, with shuttle buses running to and from the shrine.
The use of remote parking is being highly encouraged by both the city and Archdiocese as Central Road between Wolf and River roads is expected to close in the late afternoon of Dec. 11.
This year marks the 482nd anniversary of the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, when Catholics across Latin America celebrate the Virgin Mary's multiple appearances to Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, an Aztec native who converted to Catholicism. The Guadalupe shrine in Des Plaines is the only authorized one outside the Basillica in Mexico City where people can satisfy their mandas, or promises to Our Lady of Guadalupe.