ACT OF FAITH
Thousands walk miles in cold to pay homage
In 2011, Arturo Martinez lost his job after suffering an accident that severely hurt his back. That same year, he decided to take a nearly 15-mile pilgrimage from his church in Franklin Park to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines.
He wanted, he recalled, to thank the Virgin Mary for “simply being alive,” and to “beg her for health.”
Seven years later, a now-healthy and employed Martinez no longer walks alone.
More than 50 people from St. Gertrude Church joined him Tuesday night on the six-hour walk to the shrine.
They were among the thousands who were expected to make the annual pilgrimage from dozens of parishes across the Chicago Archdiocese for the annual Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, an overnight celebration to mark the days in December 1531, when it’s believed the Virgin Mary appeared before the peasant Juan Diego in Mexico.
“Thanks to her, I was healed. Faith moves mountains,” Martinez said during the journey.
This year, the weather was relatively pleasant, compared to bitter cold and snow in previous years. But the pilgrims show up, he said, because “to pay homage to our beloved mother, because she continues to intercede on our behalf. We owe this to her to thank her. It goes beyond just tradition and culture; it’s faith and love.”
In Martinez’s youth in his native Mexico, he would walk over five days from his home in the state of Michoacan to the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
In past years, more than 200,000 predominantly Latino Catholics have made the pilgrimage to Des Plaines on Dec. 12.
This year, organizers prepared to receive more than 300,000 people over the course of the feast, which began with an opening Mass on Tuesday evening with representations of the apparitions, continued with a serenade and torch-lighting at 10 p.m. and a midnight Mass.
Prayers were scheduled to continue throughout the day Wednesday, with a
“Thanks to her, I was healed. Faith moves mountains.”
—Arturo Martinez
closing Mass at 7 p.m.
There are nearly 30 pilgrimages registered in Illinois, the farthest coming from south suburban Blue Island, said Ignacio Perez, a spokesman for the shrine. Many more participate but aren’t registered.
A pilgrimage is not only a way to show and keep the faith alive, said the Rev. Esequiel Sanchez, rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“It is something so beautiful that unites and makes people feel the love of God, because our people feel a lot and they like to share their feeling of love and gratefulness,” he said. “But everyone has a story to share of why they made the journey.”
The group walking with Martinez sang and prayed along the way. An 11-year-old boy, walking with his mother, led the pilgrimage, holding a banner depicting Our Lady of Guadalupe.
“Desde el cielo una Hermosa manana, desde el cielo una Hermosa manana, la Guadalupana bajo el Tepeyac,” a woman sang through the megaphone, which translates to: “In the sky, we can see a beautiful morning, we see our Lady of Guadalupe by the Tepeyac hill,” where Juan Diego saw the apparition.
Those who show a deep faith in Our Lady of Guadalupe are known as guadalupanos in Mexico and Latin America.
“It’s part of our identity and our being,” Griselda Mendiola, whose son led the St. Gertrude pilgrimage, said as the group walked along River Road. Some passing drivers honked their horns; others rolled their windows down with curiosity.
Mendiola began walking in 2003 from a church in Chicago. Unlike past years, this year she didn’t have to wear too many layers of clothing to stay warm and safe.
“We’ve had mild snow, winter storm, rain, but I’ll never stop coming,” she said. “Being able to walk and make this sacrifice in honor of Guadalupe fills me with emotion and joy to be able to thank her for everything that she does for us.”
This year, she said, she was able to buy her first home. She got a work permit. As she walked, she said, she prayed for her immigration status to be resolved. “I also pray that I never lose my faith and that my family never stops believing in her,” she said.
As the group approached the shrine, the songs and prayers got a bit louder, with mariachi and banda music filling the air. Some worshipers began to cry softly; others smiled.
“It’s inexplicable what one feels during the walk, but the emotion just takes over once we get to the shrine,” Martinez said.
“I forget that I’m sick; I forget everything. I just know I thank her for allowing me to get there once again.
“Let’s not forget where we come from,” he added, “because it has been this faith which has helped us cross borders and continue standing.”