Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, celebrations for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe were cancelled at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines. On Dec. 11, 2020 shrine staff temporarily removed the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe from the outdoor shrine. The shrine was closed Dec. 11-12 and reopened on Dec. 13. Two virtual Masses were broadcast from the St. Joseph Chapel along with songs to Mary in the morning of Dec. 12. Cardinal Cupich, Father Esequiel Sanchez, shrine rector, and Mexico City’s Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes asked pilgrims, because of the ongoing pandemic, to celebrate this feast day in the safety of their own homes. Pope Francis also declared that Catholics could receive a plenary indulgence for those celebrating the Guadalupe devotion from their homes.
Virtual worshippers often satisfied, but more Americans choose in-person services In the height of the pandemic, many Americans who attended in-person worship services turned to their computers and their couches instead for virtual viewing.
Guadalupe is a message of communion amid mixed cultures, pope says Our Lady of Guadalupe is a message of “mestizaje,” or a fusion of cultures that leads to an encounter between humanity and God, Pope Francis said.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Plaza opens at Shrine of Christ’s Passion Catholics from the Archdiocese of Chicago joined hundreds of others to celebrate the blessing and dedication of a new Our Lady of Guadalupe Plaza, outdoor shrine and chapel at the Shrine of Christ’s Passion in St. John, Indiana, on May 22.