July 29, 2008 — The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe goes back to 1531, when an Aztec peasant named Juan Diego is said to have had visions of the Virgin Mary.

Later this week, seven years of work to enshrine those visions in the bluffs of La Crosse will culminate with the dedication of the Shrine Church at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

People attending the blessing of Tilma statue at the church plaza at shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe by Archbishop Raymond Burke.Dick Riniker photo

On Monday, Grace Mullen walked up the meditation trail on the Shrine grounds off Hwy. 14/61 for a ceremony unveiling a bronze sculpture of Juan Diego, now a saint in the Roman Catholic church.

“It’s a continuation of what happened in Mexico,” Mullen, 68, said of the Shrine, a 103-acre complex where various sites have been open to the public for some years. “Mary has a habit of appearing to simple children, lowly people who really aren’t lowly after all. They’re saints.”

For more on the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, visit www.lacrossetribune.com/shrine.

Archbishop Raymond Burke, founder of the Shrine and former bishop of La Crosse, celebrated Mass on Monday to kick off the dedication week.

As Burke entered the Pilgrim Center lobby through the gift shop, some 150 people rose and sang, “Sing of Mary, pure and lowly, Virgin mother undefiled.”

More than 30 people were there from Stratford, Wis., where Burke spent part of his youth.

“We’re so proud of him,” said Mullen, who said her children were taught by Burke’s mother.

After the Mass, the group processed up the meditation trail to the plaza in front of the Shrine Church, where a bronze sculpture was unveiled.

The sculpture, made by a Mexican artist who also made the sculpture at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, depicts two figures.

On the left, Bishop Juan de Zumárraga kneels in front of Juan Diego, who is unveiling his tilma with the famous image of Mary that is said to have proved to the bishop the truth of Juan Diego’s visions.

After Burke dedicated the statue, Peggy Hamill, state director of Pro-Life Wisconsin, stood near the construction site of what will be a devotional area to the unborn.

“Our Lady of Guadalupe is known to be a powerful intercessor,” said Hamill, 61, who was visiting from Brookfield, Wis., for the eighth time. “Being the mother of God, when Jesus’ mother asks him to do something, it’s known that Jesus generally will do what his mother asks.”

Sherry Wall, construction administrator for River Architects who worked closely on the Shrine Church, waited to hear Burke’s reaction to the completed church.

“It’s kind of like giving birth, but we’ve been in labor for four years,” Wall said, looking forward to the Thursday dedication Mass. “It’s gone on for so long, it was hard to imagine that it was ever going to be finished.”

Joe Orso can be reached at (608) 791-8429 or jorso@lacrossetribune.com.

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