May 19, 2005

The sun didn't shine this morning, but it didn't rain, either, for the blessing and dedication of the cornerstone of the church of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse.
"God is getting even more merciful. It's much better today," said Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, now of the St. Louis Diocese, recalling how most previous major shrine milestones, including last year's May groundbreaking for the church, have been accompanied by rain.

More than 300 people turned out for the cornerstone blessing at the site of the blufftop church, including second-graders from Blessed Sacrament, St. James and Mary, Mother of the Church elementary schools.

"It's cool," said second-grader Claire Craig of Blessed Sacrament. She said she and her classmates were at the ceremony for "crowning Mary."

The crowning, a Catholic Church tradition usually held May 1, was completed by Burke, who had to climb a ladder to place the garland of flowers on the head of the bronze statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe that stands in the courtyard of the shrine's Pilgrim Center.

Also participating in the dedication and May crowning was Bishop Jerome Listecki, Burke's successor as bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse.

As part of the dedication ceremony, Burke blessed a bronze box filled with more than 300 petitions and prayer requests from people devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe. It will be placed in the cornerstone.

Like most of the people at the dedication, Burke and Listecki took time to check the progress being made in the construction of the church, which is slated for completion in late 2006.

"It's really happening. It's beautiful," said Burke, the shrine's founder and chairman of its board of directors. He said he'd last been to the site in late April.