A week of celebration ended Sunday for the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe south of La Crosse.
Hundreds of people, including dignitaries of the Catholic Church, attended and participated in a variety of dedication activities which started last Monday.
Now, tourism officials in Western Wisconsin hope people keep coming to the shrine. It might seem crass to some to talk about a shrine increasing business — in fact some have protested the financial side of the project — but the potential for such a boost has been one reason the shrine has been anticipated for years.
Some estimate that thousands per year will come to the shrine. Pilgrimages have been organized by various groups. Tours will be available to the general public now that the dedication week is over. Free tickets were given away for the dedication week, but went very quickly.
The shrine was built in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe. As legend has it, on Dec. 9, 1531, an indigenous Mexican, Juan Diego, saw a vision of the Virgin Mary dressed in native garments. Diego told the bishop that Mary commanded a church be built on Tepeyac Hill, the site of the vision, in present-day Mexico City.
When the bishop asked for proof, Juan Diego, returned with a cloak filled with flowers he found blooming in winter during another vision of the woman. An image of the woman was left on the cloak.
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 December 9-12, the Church in America commemorates the appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
Archbishop Raymond Burke, the former bishop of the La Crosse diocese, spearheaded the building of the shrine near La Crosse. Burke, a recent appointee to the Vatican as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, was at the dedication week and said, “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 seats 450, has 25 bells in a tower at the top, a crypt church below and eight shrines on the sides with saints along the 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 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 cathecetical 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. A hotel complex has been discussed in the past and is still included in potential plans.
Controversy has surrounded the shrine. Burke himself has been controversial for some of his actions when bishop at La Crosse and while archbishop in St. Louis.
Some questioned the costs of the project and whether the assets held by the shrine, believed to be more than $30 million, are excessive in a day when that money could be used to help people. A group of about 100 people from a Monroe church protested at the dedication ceremonies.
But, organizers say the shrine can become a retreat and place for thousands to worship. They also emphasize that all costs of the church and shrine has 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 other Catholic leaders. The land where the shrine is located was annexed to the City of La Crosse in 2000. Lucille and Robert Swing donated the land.
Most business people in the region aren’t concerned about the disputes. They look at the shrine as an attractive addition to the area, one that could bring hundreds, if not thousands, of tourists per year.
The Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Mexico City draws an estimated 20 million visitors annually. The Vatican Council listed it as the most visited Catholic site in the world in 1999. Another shrine planned for northeast Indiana is projected to draw 2 million per year.
Detractors say the shrine near La Crosse won’t come close to those figures. But, even considerably more modest figures certainly would be a “blessing” in an area where high gas prices, floods and other factors have hurt tourism.
