Photos

Cowboy club makes annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe

More than 200 members of Club Los Vaqueros Unidos (United Cowboys Club) from the Chicago area make their way to place roses at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines on Dec. 1, 2018. The annual horseback pilgrimage leads up to two days of festivities Dec. 11-12, when more than 100,000 people make a pilgrimage to the shrine for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The feast celebrates the appearance of Mary to indigenous peasant St. Juan Diego in 1531 near present-day Mexico City.
Father Esequiel Sanchez, rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines, blesses riders. (Karen Callaway Chicago Catholic)
Riders hold the flags of Mexico, Our Lady of Guadalupe and the United States. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
A rider removes his hat as he makes his way to the shrine. (Karen Callaway Chicago Catholic)
People gather to watch the riders. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)
A cowboy doffs his hat as he approaches the shrine. (Karen Callaway Chicago Catholic)
Father Sanchez blesses riders. (Karen Callaway Chicago Catholic)
A band plays during the pilgrimage. (Karen Callaway Chicago Catholic)

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