Dec. 15, 1999

Construction of a $25 million shrine complex to venerate Our Lady of Guadalupe will begin next spring in the town of Shelby.
Bishop Raymond L. Burke, who first talked about the possibility of a shrine in the diocese at his ordination in 1995, Tuesday morning unveiled construction plans for the complex, which is to be built on an 80-acre site off Hwy. 14, along Hwy. MM.

The complex will be built entirely through donations, with no diocesan funds used, Burke said. So far, Burke said he's received donations or commitments for donations totaling about $15 million.

A $5 million endowment for ongoing maintenance and development of the shrine will be established before construc tion begins, Burke said.

He said a separate corporation has been set up to adminis ter the project, which will not be connected in any way to diocesan finances.

The land, which belonged to the late Robert Swing and his wife, Lucille, was donated by the Swing family last year. One of the Swings' sons, the Rev. John Swing, is a priest of the diocese. A daughter, Jeanne Pavela, is the wife of La Crosse physician Dr. Stephen Pavela.

Burke said the project, which has been in the planning for more than a year, will begin with the construction of a visitor center and then a church, with seating for about 350. The project will take several years to complete.

Bids for construction of the visitor center and the church will be sought this winter so that construction can begin as soon a weather permits in the spring, Burke said.

The complex also will include a place for outdoor Masses, a center for doctrinal and spiritual renewal of catechism teachers, a residence for the director of the shrine, a convent for contemplative religious sisters who will maintain constant prayer at the shrine, and several smaller chapels.

There also will be a "Mary's Garden" filled with plants named for Mary, the mother of Jesus. The garden will be a place for meditation and prayer, the bishop said.

Burke said a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe is appropriate because the message given by the apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1531 to a Mexican peasant was intended for all people in the Americas, not just those in Central and South America.

The lady's message of hope and love and the sacredness of all human life is as significant today as it was in 1531, Burke said.

"Because of the loss of hope in our time and the immensity of the moral difficulties which we face, there is a great desire today for a place of pilgrimage in which faith and hope can be renewed," he said.

Burke has led several pilgrimages to significant religious sites during the last three years, including one to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. He said all of the pilgrimages were well received by people in the diocese.

Although there are shrines in other parts of the United States, there are none in western Wisconsin of a similar scope to the one planned for La Crosse, the bishop said.

He said he envisions the shrine as a place where people from the diocese and beyond will come for prayer and spiritual renewal. The complex will not have overnight accommodations for pilgrims because the city already has numerous hotels and motels where people can stay.

The church will not be a parish but will have a priest in residence for daily Mass, Burke said. He said he also is talking with an order of contemplative Carmelite sisters about living on site, but no commitments have been made as yet.

The center for catechists will be operated by members of the Association of Marian Catechists, a movement founded in Detroit by the Rev. John Hardon. The movement is committed to bringing about a renewal of devotion to Mary among Catholics.

Burke said he anticipates that the shrine will result in a renewed interest in religious vocations among young people in the diocese, and could ultimately help to relieve the shortage of priests in the diocese.

"Sometimes you have to do something new and take a new approach to encourage new priests," he said. "The spiritual good that will be accomplished at the shrine will encourage new vocations."