News Releases

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from the Chicago-area and well beyond are expected to arrive at the Shrine to pay homage to the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, who appeared to Saint Juan Diego in Mexico City on Dec. 12, 1531. 

Pilgrims make the annual journey to the Shrine on foot, bike, bus, and car to fulfill or make “mandas” or promises to Our Lady, which they make for a specific need or concern, such as: loss or lack of employment, physical and emotional health, immigration issues, and family unity.  

The two-day celebration will begin with an opening Mass at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, celebrated by Very Rev. Esequiel Sanchez, Rector of the Shrine. Masses will be offered throughout the next day until the closing Mass at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12.   

“Las Mañanitas,” the traditional serenade to Our Lady of Guadalupe, will begin at 11 p.m. on Dec.11. Additional music and folkloric dance performances by choirs, groups, and pilgrims from around the Midwest are scheduled throughout Dec. 12.  

Starting on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. in the Chapel of St. Joseph, the Shrine will begin a 9-day novena in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

On Saturday, Dec. 4, at noon, the Shrine of our Lady of Guadalupe will dedicate the new entrance to the Shrine. Fr. Esequiel Sanchez, says that the new entrance is, “A sign of a new campus identity and an expression of faith despite the pandemic and all the pain our pilgrims have suffered. This new entrance is a sign of hope amid this disease that plagues our world.” “The new entrance is designed in the form of outstretched arms, symbolizing Our Lady’s giving all who visit a welcoming hug,” Fr. Sanchez added.

Dec. 4 will also feature special blessings for a pilgrimage of horses and their riders and a pilgrimage of trailers and their drivers. See schedule below for times.

The Shrine’s leadership asks all pilgrims to exercise the following important measures to minimize the natural apprehension people may have in large group settings. All pilgrims will be required to wear masks both indoors and out while on campus and to keep a 6-foot distance between families or groups.

The Illinois Department of Public Health will provide free COVID-19 vaccinations, including booster shots to eligible children and adults on site.

All services will be bilingual and live-streamed at www.solg.org.

About the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Located at 1170 N. River Rd. in Des Plaines, the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe has attracted millions of people as a place of pilgrimage since its humble beginnings.

On July 4, 1986, the missionary image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, brought from Mexico, was accepted for permanent display on the grounds of Maryville Academy. In 1997, Msgr. Esteban Martinez, from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, blessed the grounds and poured soil from the Tepeyac of Mexico onto the New Tepeyac of America, which was authorized by the Basilica to be a site to fulfill mandas (promises) to Our Lady. In 2013, Francis Cardinal George, OMI, decreed the land around where the image was placed to be a Shrine. Each year, on December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, thousands make the trip from parishes throughout the Archdiocese and the Midwest to honor Our Lady.

On April 21, 2018, the inaugural Mass for St. Joseph Chapel, located on the grounds of the former gymnasium was celebrated. The first two are Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in the South Chicago neighborhood and Misión San Juan Diego in Palatine.

COMPLETE LIST OF ALL ACTIVITIES IN HONOR OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

Novena and Celebration for Our Lady of Guadalupe
"Raising the Doors of the Guadalupano Heart"