"Am I not here, I, who am your Mother?" Those are the words spoken to St. Juan Diego from the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
I recently chaperoned a trip for our youth to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I had been there on one other occasion so I was familiar with the location.
I had 5 girls that I was taking through the grounds and the Shrine. We started the day off with the coach bus ride and said the Holy Rosary on the trip as well as watched an informational video to give more information for the pilgrimage about St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe.
When we arrived at the location, the kids were eager to get off the bus and see the area. It is nestled in a hill area of the beautiful La Crosse area. When you get there, the visitor center is visible and the Votive Chapel just up the hill slightly.
The children didn't understand at first that the journey was to be a pilgrimage where they would be walking and meditating. They soon understood after many questions of WHY it would be on a hill and such a journey to the shrine. ( more info on the Votive Chapel )
After visiting the Votive Chapel and talking to them about the meaning of the numerous stained glass images of Our Lady, we went on to find the first outdoor grotto - Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Patroness of Native American Catholics.
Then we stopped and headed back down to the Visitor's Center to eat at the Culina Mariana Restaurant.
After eating we started off on the journey back up the hill on the Meditation Trail, past the Votive Chapel and past the first grotto, to the second outdoor grotto - Saint Joseph the Workman, Patron of the Diocese of La Crosse.
Soon we were back on the Meditation Trail and on our way to the Shrine. It was about a half mile up an incline to get to the Shrine. A beautiful bronze image of the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the tilma of Saint Juan Diego in the presence of Bishop Juan de Zumárraga is in the plaza of the Shrine Church.
I left the children peek inside the Shrine Church, but since we would be back for Mass soon, I opted to take them further up the trail to the Memorial to the Unborn. The Memorial contains instructional plaques which explain the teaching of the Catholic Church on such topics as contraception, abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and the dignity of life for all. The Memorial also contains several flower beds known as Mary's Garden - containing flowers named after the Blessed Mother. There is a beautiful bronze statue of Our Lady holding infants in her arms.
We followed the path to the top where all 20 Mysteries of the Rosary are depicted in blue and white tiles. It is a beautiful place to meditate on the Mysteries of the Rosary in detail.
We proceeded back a short distance to the start of the Stations of the Cross. The Stations are along a walking path for prayer and meditation.
Now it was getting close to the start of Mass. We entered the Church and headed to the confessionals since the girls showed an interest in Reconciliation. I wanted to encourage that and made sure they were all able to go to Confession before Mass started.
After Mass we had a guided tour of the Shrine Church and were told about the artistry and Relics that are present there.
It was a wonderful trip and the kids enjoyed it very much. We got to the Shrine at about 10am and left about 3:30pm.
If you are ever in the area, I would strongly suggest going! God Bless...
I recently chaperoned a trip for our youth to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse, Wisconsin. I had been there on one other occasion so I was familiar with the location.
I had 5 girls that I was taking through the grounds and the Shrine. We started the day off with the coach bus ride and said the Holy Rosary on the trip as well as watched an informational video to give more information for the pilgrimage about St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe.
When we arrived at the location, the kids were eager to get off the bus and see the area. It is nestled in a hill area of the beautiful La Crosse area. When you get there, the visitor center is visible and the Votive Chapel just up the hill slightly.
The children didn't understand at first that the journey was to be a pilgrimage where they would be walking and meditating. They soon understood after many questions of WHY it would be on a hill and such a journey to the shrine. ( more info on the Votive Chapel )
After visiting the Votive Chapel and talking to them about the meaning of the numerous stained glass images of Our Lady, we went on to find the first outdoor grotto - Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Patroness of Native American Catholics.
Then we stopped and headed back down to the Visitor's Center to eat at the Culina Mariana Restaurant.
After eating we started off on the journey back up the hill on the Meditation Trail, past the Votive Chapel and past the first grotto, to the second outdoor grotto - Saint Joseph the Workman, Patron of the Diocese of La Crosse.
Soon we were back on the Meditation Trail and on our way to the Shrine. It was about a half mile up an incline to get to the Shrine. A beautiful bronze image of the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the tilma of Saint Juan Diego in the presence of Bishop Juan de Zumárraga is in the plaza of the Shrine Church.
I left the children peek inside the Shrine Church, but since we would be back for Mass soon, I opted to take them further up the trail to the Memorial to the Unborn. The Memorial contains instructional plaques which explain the teaching of the Catholic Church on such topics as contraception, abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and the dignity of life for all. The Memorial also contains several flower beds known as Mary's Garden - containing flowers named after the Blessed Mother. There is a beautiful bronze statue of Our Lady holding infants in her arms.
We followed the path to the top where all 20 Mysteries of the Rosary are depicted in blue and white tiles. It is a beautiful place to meditate on the Mysteries of the Rosary in detail.
We proceeded back a short distance to the start of the Stations of the Cross. The Stations are along a walking path for prayer and meditation.
Now it was getting close to the start of Mass. We entered the Church and headed to the confessionals since the girls showed an interest in Reconciliation. I wanted to encourage that and made sure they were all able to go to Confession before Mass started.
After Mass we had a guided tour of the Shrine Church and were told about the artistry and Relics that are present there.
It was a wonderful trip and the kids enjoyed it very much. We got to the Shrine at about 10am and left about 3:30pm.
If you are ever in the area, I would strongly suggest going! God Bless...
For more information on the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in La Crosse, click here.
To learn more about Our Lady of Guadalupe click here.
