Shrine draws faithful flock

Dedication ceremony held at St. John’s new Our Lady of Guadalupe Plaza

Olga Diaz of Chicago held a bouquet of roses Sunday as she waited in the Our Lady of Guadalupe Plaza at the Shrine of Christ’s Passion in St. John for the Most Rev. Bishop Robert McClory to bless the statue and the crowd.

Diaz was one of a couple thousand people who gathered there for the grand ceremony dedicating the addition of the latest statutes at the site, Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Juan Diego, the Aztec-turned-Catholic saint to whom the Virgin Mary appeared.

As her granddaughter Jocelyn Diaz translated, the elder Diaz said she came from Chicago to see the statue. The family was at the Shrine for the May crowning ceremony last week. Olga Diaz said she had a strong belief in the Virgin of Guadalupe and said she the Virgin Mother is a miracle to her.

“I’ve come to present to the Virgin my family. I want to give her thanks for the family she gave me,” she said through her daughter. Diaz was joined by eight of her family members.

A mariachi band and traditional Aztec dancers performed as the faithful waited for the most Rev. Bishop Robert McClory, the Rev. Sammie Maletta with St. John the Evangelist Church, and Father Rocky Hoffman of Relevant Radio to commence the ceremony. Entertainment continued after the ceremony creating a festival atmosphere.

McClory prayed with the faithful, switching from Spanish to English for the crowd.

“As we honor Our Lady of Guadalupe… we draw closer to her son Jesus,” McClory said.

McClory said the monuments help people to be motivated to be mindful of the saints and to emulate them.

“It’s another glorious day here at the Shrine of Christ’s Passion … as the vision continues to unfold in unique and diverse ways,” Maletta said.

Father Rocky also addressed the crowd in Spanish, drawing cheers as he spoke. The Rev. Diego Florez, the new pastor at Our Lady of Guadalupe parish in East Chicago,

also reached out in Spanish to the crowd. Florez, a native of Columbia, leads the only Spanish language church in the diocese.

Paul Anderson, general manager of the Shrine, said stakeholders visited the Shrine of Guadalupe in Mexico in 2017 to see how it could be recreated here.

“You don’t just go down to Schilling Lumber and buy a blueprint to build a statue,” Anderson said. He lauded Frank and Shirley Schilling for their commitment to the Shrine.

Camila Organista, 15, and her brother Hector, 9 and sister Leah, 12, joined their mom Anayeli Suarez and her sister Veronica Suarez, all from Lake Station, at the dedication. Camila translated for her mother.

Anayeli Suarez said it feels really good to have a place to worship Our Lady of Guadalupe here in Northwest Indiana.

“We believe a lot in her. We have a lot of faith in her,” she said.

ANDY LAVALLEY/POST-TRIBUNE PHOTOS Sister Maria P. Rosas, of Chicago, places flowers at the base of the Our Lady of Guadalupe statue in St. John on Sunday. The statue is the newest addition to the Shrine of Christ’s Passion.

Crystal Guzman, 10, of East Chicago, looks on as her sister Nathalia, 8, prays.

Members from Xel-Ha Escuela de Danza, of East Chicago, perform Sunday.

The Rev. Robert McClory, of the Gary Diocese, blesses the grounds.

ANDY LAVALLEY/POST-TRIBUNE PHOTOS Jesus Contreras and his wife, Gabriela Lucatero, take in the new plaza.

Hermila Hernandez, of Joliet, Illinois, places flowers at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Plaza during a ceremony Sunday.