The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines has opened a new retreat center on its campus.
The center includes two buildings, one named for the late Auxiliary Bishop John Manz and one named for the late Cardinal Francis George, said Father Esequiel Sanchez, the shrine’s rector.
“It’s always been part of our planning for the development of the shrine,” Sanchez said. “Now was the opportune time to do so.”
The retreat center was dedicated by Auxiliary Bishop Timothy O’Malley on Feb. 15.
The shrine’s vice rector, Father Jesús Puentes, told Chicago Católico that Bishop Manz, known for his closeness to Hispanic Catholics and the immigrant community, had supported the development of the shrine on land then owned by Maryville Academy since the 1990s, and has become known as “the godfather of the shrine.”
Cardinal George officially established the shrine in 2013, dividing the former Maryville Academy campus between the social service agency that cares for children and the shrine.
However, the shrine had leased the two buildings back to Maryville, which was using them to house minors who arrived in the United States unaccompanied by a parent or guardian.
By the time the lease expired, the buildings had been vacant for some time, Sanchez said, and the shrine wanted to use them for something that would advance its mission of evangelization rather than renting them to someone else.
“When we depend too much on rent, that means we’re not putting enough energy in making those buildings serve the mission of the shrine,” Sanchez said.
The buildings can house 40 overnight guests, Sanchez said, and between them, they have three kitchens so retreat groups can cook for themselves or they can arrange to have food catered, Sanchez said.
The buildings also have a small conference facility, with larger conference spaces available in other buildings on the campus.
Groups can also use the other shrine facilities, he said, including the chapels and the plaza and other buildings.
Sanchez said the retreat center will be an important part of the shrine’s mission of receiving people, including many who are re-encountering the church after a period of time away, and sharing the Gospel, and, especially, the love of Our Lady of Guadalupe with them.
The center has already had interest from religious communities and other groups who would like to use it for their retreats, and it has plans to operate its own summer retreats, Sanchez said.
“It’s small compared to other, bigger venues,” he said. “For us, it’s going to be important. It has to serve the goals that we are trying to do. It’s a very useful and needed ministry.”
While the retreat center will be open to parish groups, it will not host overnight retreats for minors, Sanchez said. Teens and school groups are welcome for daylong events.
Sanchez sees the retreat center as a new way to serve the spiritual needs of people who already come to the shrine and as a way to reach new people. While the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe often welcomes 200,000 pilgrims during the festivities leading up to the Dec. 12 feast day and 50,000 people for devotions during the Triduum, too many people believe that it is only for Hispanic Catholics, he said, when in reality, it is for everybody.
In the past decade, the shrine has created a large indoor chapel from a former gymnasium, added a pastoral center with classrooms and other facilities, and developed an arched entryway to welcome pilgrims, among other projects. Future plans include establishing a cafeteria.
All of the work now is to prepare for the 500th anniversary of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s appearances to San Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City in 1531.
“We make sure this is place that is geared for encounter, spirituality, hospitality,” Sanchez said. “We need to make this a real spiritual center, an opportunity to seek the holy. We’re not a parish. … The shrine really wants to be a space that is of service to parishes and people who want to evangelize. That’s really the nature of this shrine.”
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Contributing to this story was Andrés Lepe