Catholics welcome icon of Mary as ‘we would all like to be welcomed’

Father Federico Alberto Pons Arenas, who traveled from Mexico with the icon of the Virgen de San Juan de Los Lagos, speaks at the prayer service Sept. 12, 2019, in Humboldt Park while Father Gary Graf, pastor of San José Luis Sánchez del Río Parish, looks on. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Parishioners of San José Luis Sánchez del Río Parish gathered to celebrate the arrival of the statue of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos from Jalisco, Mexico, on Sept 12, 2019, at Humboldt Park with a prayer service. A special message was read welcoming the statue and acknowledging the contributions of immigrants to this country. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

The statue of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos from Jalisco, Mexico on Sept 12, 2019, is made of wood and stands less than two-feet high. It was carried to Maternity BVM Church, 3647 W. North Ave., as part of the first stop on her visit to several parishes. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Parishioners of San José Luis Sánchez del Río Parish gathered to celebrate the arrival of the statue of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos from Jalisco, Mexico, on Sept 12, 2019 at Humboldt Park with a prayer service. A special message was read welcoming the statue and acknowledging the contributions of immigrants to this country. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Parishioners of San José Luis Sánchez del Río Parish gathered to celebrate the arrival of the statue of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos from Jalisco, Mexico, on Sept 12, 2019 at Humboldt Park with a prayer service. A special message was read welcoming the statue and acknowledging the contributions of immigrants to this country. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Parishioners of San José Luis Sánchez del Río Parish venerate the statue of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos from Jalisco, Mexico, on Sept 12, 2019, at Humboldt Park with a prayer service. At the end of the prayer service, the statue, was carried in procession toward Maternity BVM Church, 3647 W. North Ave., as part of the first stop on her visit to several parishes. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Parishioners of San José Luis Sánchez del Río Parish carry banners in a procession to celebrate the arrival of the statue of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos from Jalisco, Mexico, on Sept. 12, 2019, at Humboldt Park. They carried it in a procession to Maternity BVM Church, 3647 W. North Ave. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Parishioners of San José Luis Sánchez del Río Parish carry the statue of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos to Maternity BVM Parish, 3647 W. North Ave., in a procession Sept. 12, 2019. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)

Parishioners of San José Luis Sánchez del Río Parish carried the statue of Our Lady of San Juan de Los Lagos from Humboldt Park to Maternity BVM Parish, 3647 W. North Ave., on Sept 12, 2019. A prayer service emphasized the dignity of immigrants. (Karen Callaway/Chicago Catholic)