A special celebration on Thursday, November 2, in honor of All Souls Day, will take place at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 1170 North River Road in Des Plaines. Rev. Esequiel Sánchez, Rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, will celebrate the All Souls Day Mass at 6 p.m.
Participants from parishes across the Archdiocese are invited to take part in this Día de los Muertos celebration that begins at 4 p.m. Families will be invited to create traditional altars on the grounds surrounding the Shrine, in honor of their deceased loved ones, with photos, memorabilia, their favorite foods and the traditional Pan de Muerto, or bread of the dead. These altars will replicate those created at cemeteries throughout the world including Mexico, Central and South America and Europe.
Immediately following the Mass, there will be a procession to the location of the altars, stopping at each one for an individual blessing. The All Souls Day celebration will continue with serenades and traditional Mexican music.
For information about constructing an altar for the All Souls Day celebration, call the Shrine at 847-294-1806 or visit www.santuarioguadalupe.org.
About the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Located at 1170 North River Road in Des Plaines, the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe has attracted millions of people as a place of pilgrimage since its humble beginnings. In 1997, Msgr. Esteban Martinez, from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, blessed the grounds and poured soil from the Tepeyac of Mexico onto the New Tepeyac of America, which was authorized by the Basilica to be a site to satisfy mandas (promises) to Our Lady. In 2013, Francis Cardinal George, OMI, decreed it a Shrine. Each year, on December 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, thousands make the trip from parishes throughout the Archdiocese.
About the Archdiocese of Chicago
The Archdiocese of Chicago, the third largest in the United States, serves more than 2.2 million Catholics in 347 parishes in Cook and Lake Counties, a geographic area of 1,411 square miles. The Archdiocese, pastored by Archbishop Blase J. Cupich, has more than 15,000 employees in its systems and ministries, including Catholic Charities, the region’s largest nonprofit social service agency. The Archdiocese also has one of the country’s largest seminaries. The Archdiocese’s 217 elementary and secondary schools comprise the largest U.S. private school system and have garnered more U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon Awards than any system of any type.
