Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe
A Wisconsin Guadalupe shrine where a wooded pilgrimage rises toward Mass, confession, sacred art, and prayer for the life and unity of the Americas.
- Location
- La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States
- Recognition
- Public devotion long received in the life of the Church
- Feast December 12
- Marian title
- Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas
- Visionary
- Saint Juan Diego at Tepeyac; no apparition is claimed at La Crosse
- Guadalupe apparitions: December 9–12, 1531; La Crosse shrine church dedicated July 31, 2008
- Time needed
- Three hours
- A full day with Mass, confession, devotional trails, and a guided church pilgrimage when available
Walk toward the Woman who carries Christ.
This is not Tepeyac transplanted and it is not a second apparition place. It is a Wisconsin shrine built so pilgrims can answer Guadalupe’s invitation through the Church’s sacramental life. The trail rises through prayer, the saints accompany the way, and the Shrine Church receives the pilgrim before the Eucharist and the image of Our Lady. Come for a family wound, a threatened life, a divided heart, or a hope for the Americas that needs to become prayer.
What happened here.
A diocesan vision becomes a living place of pilgrimage.
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1999
The shrine is announced
Then-Bishop Raymond Leo Burke announces a diocesan shrine intended to deepen Catholic devotional life and serve pilgrims under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
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2001–2007
The pilgrimage grounds take shape
The site develops through the Meditation Trail, devotional areas, chapels, and the building of the Shrine Church.
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July 31, 2008
The Shrine Church is dedicated
The church is solemnly dedicated for worship and pilgrimage.
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Present
A living shrine
Mass, confession, adoration, pilgrimage, sacred art, and prayer for human dignity continue through the year.
A day at the Guadalupe shrine.
The route is substantial; let Mass and confession determine the day’s order.
- 01 Mass in the Shrine Church Receive the pilgrimage’s center at the altar.
- 02 Confession and adoration Bring conversion before Christ rather than leaving it as a general intention.
- 03 The Meditation Trail Walk toward the church with the body as well as the mind.
- 04 Rosary Walk and Stations Choose one full devotion rather than hurrying through every outdoor site.
- 05 Votive prayer Leave one named intention in the Mother of Good Counsel chapel.
What to notice, without rushing.
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01
The Shrine Church in its pilgrimage landscape
The church is reached through the wider devotional grounds; the approach makes arrival at the altar part of the prayer.
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02
The sanctuary and Guadalupe image
Read the church from the altar outward. Guadalupe devotion here is ordered toward Christ in the Eucharist.
How long to stay, and what to pray.
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Three hours A first Guadalupe pilgrimagePilgrims with limited timeThis plan saves
- Meditation Trail or shuttle to the church
- Mass or confession
- Shrine Church and sacred art
- One Rosary or votive intention
4 stops -
Full day The shrine in fullPilgrims able to walk and pray at a measured paceThis plan saves
- Mass, confession, and adoration
- Shrine Church and guided pilgrimage when available
- Rosary Walk or Stations
- Votive chapel and selected saint devotional areas
4 stops
The lives this shrine remembers.
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Patroness of the Americas
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Marian titleMary honored in the image and message received at Tepeyac and carried here in the public devotion of the Church.
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Messenger of Guadalupe
Saint Juan Diego
c. 1474–1548His humble obedience carries Mary’s request to the bishop and remains the shrine’s model of mission.
Open life -
Saint honored on the pilgrimage grounds
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
1656–1680Her devotional area links the shrine’s prayer with a Native Catholic witness of purity, courage, and fidelity.
Open life
A pilgrimage route rising toward the Shrine Church
The shrine is a landscape as well as a church. Begin at the orientation area, let the path or shuttle govern the climb, and protect enough time for the church itself.
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Arrival Pilgrim Center and Orientation The place to confirm current services, access, and the day’s route.
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Liturgy Shrine Church The Eucharistic and artistic heart of the pilgrimage.
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Devotional paths Rosary Walk and Stations of the Cross Outdoor prayer that should be chosen according to time, terrain, and weather.
Official shrine · guadalupeshrine.org
How we treat the devotion.
Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a shrine whose public devotion the Church has long received and encouraged within the ordinary life of the Church, in the Mass, confession, and the Rosary.
Where a pilgrimage goes next.
Photo credits
- Hero. Wikideas1, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source. CC0.
- Pilgrimage Reaches the Altar. Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Pgnielsen79, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source. CC BY-SA 3.0.