Thousands brave freezing cold to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe

Pilgrims from near and far gathered on a chilly evening to pay homage to the Virgin Mary and seek her blessings Wednesday during the annual feast at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines.

The observance is the largest gathering honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe in the U.S., and the Archdiocese of Chicago expects hundreds of thousands pilgrims to attend the two-day celebration.

The event observes reported visions of Mary to St. San Juan Diego in Mexico City on Dec. 12, 1531.

As crowds made their way to the shrine, Central Road was closed for nearly a mile in each direction east and west of the grounds. Because parking is limited, thousands of worshippers walked or biked to the celebration.

Most of the faithful came from the Chicago area, but some traveled from other states and parts of Latin America.

As “La Guadalupana” and other traditional Mexican folk songs honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe played, pilgrims gathered before the shrine to kneel in prayer and place flowers, candles and religious icons.

Raquel Salgado of Chicago was one of the thousands of faithful who filed past the shrine and paused for a moment of prayer.

“We have to come and give thanks and praise, in sickness and in health,” Salgado said. “Just everybody, kids, adults, seniors, youth, we need that right now, that faith, to be strong.”

The Rev. Jeffrey Grob, Archbishop-designate of Milwaukee, was the main celebrant of the inaugural Mass. Additional Masses were held throughout the night, and the Very Rev. Esequiel Sanchez, rector of the shrine, will lead the solemn closing mass at 7 p.m. Thursday.

After the inaugural Mass, there was a fireworks display, followed by “Las Mananitas,” a traditional serenade to Our Lady of Guadalupe. There were additional performances of music and folkloric dance by choirs, groups and pilgrims during the celebration.