Des Plaines shrine welcomes Our Lady of Guadalupe exhibit on first stop of international tour

DES PLAINES, Ill. (WGN) — The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in northwest suburban Des Plaines is welcoming the pilgrim mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe, for the first U.S. stop on its international tour.

In observance of the 500th anniversary of the apparition, Mass will take place at 7 p.m. CT, with the unveiling of the exhibit to follow afterward. The Des Plaines shrine expects to welcome more than 2,500 people for the event.

No one—media included—was allowed to see the statue as it was set up. Scores waited patiently to get a glimpse and pay their respects leading up to the reveal.

“I believe in the Guadalupe and she has a special place in my heart,” said Joseph Costa, a shrine visitor. “I know she hears you when you pray to her. I’m here to see her statue.”

The life-sized sculpture of Our Lady of Guadalupe came from a basilica in Mexico City.

The exhibit will be open to the public and stay at the shrine in Des Plaines through Sept. 30 before being moved to St. Gall Parish in Chicago from Oct. 1-14, then the Mother of Americas Parish in Little Village from Oct. 15-28.

After October, the exhibit will make stops in the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Columbia and other countries along the way.

The tour is leading up to the 500th Anniversary Jubilee of her apparition in Mexico City to a young Native American named Juan Diego.

“You’re having an experience where you saw what he saw. You’re going to be listening to the words that she gave to him,” said Rev. Esequiel Sanchez, director of the shrine. “It’s an experience that allows people to live the experience, rather than see the experience or hear the experience.”

People can still register online to visit the exhibit, which is free and includes music and narration in both English and Spanish.