March 20, 2003

Being in on the ground floor of developing a shrine devoted to honoring the Virgin Mary feels like a natural place to be for the new executive director of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Margo Lynch, a former college teacher from Texas who became director in mid-January, said she has been a member of the national Apostolate of Our Lady of Guadalupe for 25 years.

"Our mission is to spread knowledge of, devotion to, and love for, our Lady of Guadalupe," Lynch said.

As director of the La Crosse-based shrine, which is only partially completed, Lynch said her first task is to build a firm spiritual foundation so that people who come to the shrine will find it to be a spiritually enhancing and blessed experience.

"This is God's work for his glory and for his blessed mother's honor," Lynch said of the shrine. "We don't worship her, we don't adore her, but we honor her as the mother of Jesus, the mother of us all."

Lynch said she saw the job in La Crosse advertised in the National Catholic Register and thought it might be a good fit for her — not only because of her long years of devotion to Mary, but also because of her background in teaching and parish ministry.

Although new to the task of directing a shrine, Lynch said she has led numerous pilgrimages to Roman Catholic shrines both in the United States and in other countries, including to the original Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.

Since coming to La Crosse, she has become a member of the national organization of shrine directors and already is conferring with other directors about their shrine operations. The group has about 30 members, Lynch said.

The first phase of the La Crosse project, a Pilgrim Center and a votive chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Good Counsel, has been open to visitors since December, but some finishing touches still are occurring, Lynch said.

She is in the process of hiring a staff and is looking for a gift shop manager, an executive director and a finance director. She also is scheduling programs and tours and speaking about the shrine to groups in the community.

The first formal program, a six-part Lenten series on St. Teresa Benedicta (formerly Edith Stein) begins at 7:30 p.m. March 6 in the Pilgrim Center orientation room and temporary chapel.

A national touring exhibit on the Shroud of Turin also is scheduled for April 12-19 in the center, Lynch said.

The Pilgrim Center gift shop, which was open in December, has since been closed for a temporary restructuring but is expected to be fully operational by April. Meanwhile, the shop is open only on certain days, and will be open today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The center's restaurant, Culina Mariana, is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, serving breakfast and lunch. The votive chapel also is open to visitors.

Several out-of-town groups already have scheduled tours to the shrine, including some from Catholic schools within the Diocese of La Crosse, Lynch said.

"My vision is that this will be a true spiritual center, a place of peace, of grace, of refreshment, inspiration, reconciliation, conversion and renewal," she said.

Some future plans include developing groups of trained volunteers to help lead tours and staff the gift shop and reception desk, Lynch said.

She said extensive landscaping will begin on the grounds as soon as weather permits.

La Crosse diocesan Bishop Raymond L. Burke said he's pleased with the way the project has gone so far, but is hoping everything will be in place this spring so large groups can be accommodated.

Burke said the second phase of the project, the building of the 350-seat church, is about six months behind schedule so construction might not begin this year.

"The architects are behind in their drawings," he said. Another factor is the poor economy, he said, which is causing him and other shrine board members to think it might be wise to delay construction for a time.

"I'm pleased," the bishop said of the overall progress of the project. "I'm just concerned that we keep moving forward, get groups coming out there."