The Mother of Good Counsel Votive Chapel, visible upon arrival at the Shrine site.
TUCKED INTO A HILLSIDE just south of La Crosse, the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe draws modern day pilgrims seeking solace, peace and hope.
This view of the parking lot shows the scenic rural setting.
How this shrine came to be in rural Wisconsin traces to the desires of a Bishop and of a family to create a place that would bring people closer to God.
This sculpture of Juan Diego stands near the Pilgrim Center.
To summarize, in 1531 Aztec convert Juan Diego five times witnessed apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. His uncle, Juan Bernardino, reported that she had cured him and was thereafter to be known as Santa Maria de Guadalupe.
This image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is woven into the Juan Diego statue.
I am not of the Catholic faith. Therefore I do not understand the intricacies of Juan Diego’s story. But I glimpse his significance to those, especially, of Hispanic heritage. Juan, a native of Mexico, is the first Roman Catholic Indigenous saint from the Americas.
Outside the Pilgrim Center rests this sculpture of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
When I recently visited the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Wisconsin, visitors of Hispanic origin outnumbered all others.
A rack holds 576 candles inside the Mother of Good Counsel Votive Chapel. Visitors, for a price, may have a candle lit. A lift allows lighting of the tiered candles stretching high into the chapel.
But, no matter your ethnicity or religion, this worshipful setting distances the distractions of life, replacing them with hope and serenity.
BONUS PHOTOS:
Some of the “rules,” posted on a window outside the Pilgrim Center entry.
Our Lady of Guadalupe
The stained glass windows inside the Mother of Good Counsel Votive Chapel depict “Our Blessed Mother.”
Another chapel statue, of, I assume, the Virgin Mary.
The scent and heat of burning candles prevail in the chapel.
Rosary beads on a chapel window sill.
The stained glass windows in the chapel are exquisite.
Up the path from the chapel, a statue of the first canonized Native American, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha.
The path winds up the hill toward The Shrine Church and other attractions. Golf cart rides to the Shrine are available.
The Shrine Church. Photo courtesy of Miranda Helbling.
Inside the Shrine Church, constructed between 2004-2008. Photo courtesy of Miranda Helbling.
Art abounds inside the Shrine. Photo courtesy of Miranda Helbling.
The Memorial to the Unborn celebrates and honors the lives of the unborn. Photo courtesy of Miranda Helbling.
FYI: This religious site just outside of La Crosse includes many attractions such as the Pilgrim Center (with cafe and gift shop), Mother of Good Counsel Votive Chapel, The Shrine Church, Stations of the Cross, Rosary Walk, Devotional Areas and the Memorial to the Unborn. Click here for more information.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling & Miranda Helbling
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