Church leaders further discourage gathering at shrine in Des Plaines

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the annual Catholic celebration that draws as many as a quarter of a million pilgrims to Des Plaines every December, was canceled last month because of the pandemic.

Now, church leaders are taking further steps to discourage crowds from gathering and to urge people instead to celebrate at their homes. Cardinal Blase Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Rev. Esequiel Sanchez, rector of the shrine, released video messages Thursday outlining those steps.

Sanchez said that the emblematic image of the Guadalupana will be removed from the hill of Tepeyac at the shrine and safeguarded in one of the chapels at the site from Dec. 11 until Dec. 13. In addition, the entrance to the shrine will be blocked, the lights will be turned off and the parking lot will be closed.

In the video, Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, the archbishop of Mexico City, said the pandemic offers great danger to pilgrims.

"We are united by faith; we are also united by the experience of great pain and profound insecurity caused by the coronavirus pandemic," Retes said. "The effects of this human tragedy have been felt throughout the world, but in a very particular way in the lives of the poorest and most marginalized in our societies."

Worshippers from across the country travel to the outdoor shrine on the campus of Maryville Academy, 1170 N. River Road, to take part in Masses and other ceremonies. Many of the pilgrims arrive on foot, walking from Chicago and surrounding suburbs.

The feast celebrates the appearance of the Virgin Mary to peasant St. Juan Diego in 1531 near present-day Mexico City. The Des Plaines shrine is the only place in the world outside the Basilica in Mexico City where believers can satisfy what's known as mandas, their promises made to the Virgin. A 12-foot replica statue that came from Mexico City sits in the shrine.

Officials said police will help keep the shrine secure and direct traffic and individuals away from the site.

Church officials said worshippers should instead celebrate the feast day through livestreamed Masses or in their home parishes. For a schedule of Masses, parish websites and registration information, visit the shrine's website, www.solg.org.