Nestled among the hills outside La Crosse is a shrine that could put the area on the international map in just a couple weeks.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine Church will be dedicated July 28 through Aug. 3. It is billed as a masterpiece in architecture and the final piece in a puzzle that was started several years ago.
"People say to me, 'Is it turning out just as you planned?'," said Archbishop Raymond Burke, founder of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and a recent appointee to the Vatican as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura. "In all honesty, it's far more than I had ever imagined, and it truly is a work of God. I can't take credit for this at all."
The church is said to have "survived modernism." It will seat 450, has 25 bells in a tower at the top, a crypt church below and eight side shrines with saints along the side walls of the church proper.
Materials and artwork for the church and shrine grounds have come from all over the world. Much of the actual work at the site, however, has been done by Wisconsin contractors.
Duncan G. Stroik, professor of architecture at the University of Notre Dame, designed the shrine, and River Architects, Inc. of La Crosse has served as general contractor for much of the work.
The church is at the top of a paved trail through woods that includes Stations of the Cross and a Rosary Walk. A rectory adjoined to the church is under construction and will house the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. A retreat and catechetical center as well as a convent for contemplative nuns are planned for the 103-acre site, as well.
A temporary chapel, first-class restaurant and other facilities have been operating on the shrine grounds for the last few years, but the dedication of the church is what will draw worldwide attention.
All costs of the church and shrine have been paid through private donations. The shrine is set up as a nonprofit organization and is governed by a board of directors that includes Burke, as the founder and president, Bishop Jerome Listecki, head of the Diocese of La Crosse, and Archbishop Timothy Dolan, head of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
The land where the shrine is located was annexed to the City of La Crosse in 2000. Lucille and Robert Swing donated the land.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patron saint of Mexico. There is a modern basilica honoring her in Mexico City.
The story of the Lady of Guadalupe is well known among many Catholics in the world, but not necessarily in this area of America. From Dec. 9 through 12, the Church in America commemorates the appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Guadalupe in present-day Mexico City.
It was during those days in 1531 that Our Lady of Guadalupe reportedly appeared to the Native American Saint Juan Diego. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared five times as a sign of the "infinite mercy and love of God."
On Dec. 12, she appeared to the local Bishop, Juan de Zumarrága, by leaving her image miraculously depicted on the mantle (tilma) of Saint Juan Diego. The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe recalls the appearances of 1531 and proclaims once again her message.
It is hoped the shrine will spread that message in the area as well as offer an attraction for people from around the world. Some estimate visitors to the shrine could number in the thousands per year.
Ticketed events for the events during the dedication week are sold out. The official dedication ceremony will be on July 31. The Drew Mariani Show on Relevant Radio will broadcast from the dedication on July 30 and 31. The Eternal Word TV Network will bring cable coverage to a worldwide audience on the July 31.
