Sacred Place: First-ever diocesan shrine to be established at DR Church

By Veronica Ambuul

COLORADO SPRINGS. On March 17, Bishop James Golka announced plans to create a new diocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe at Divine Redeemer Church, located at 927 N. Logan Ave., Colorado Springs. A dedication ceremony is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of July 5-6, 2025.

“Through this shrine, we will create a spiritual home where all may seek refuge in God’s mercy, find strength in unity, and deepen their devotion to Our Lord and his Blessed Mother,” Bishop Golka said. “It will be a place of healing, reconciliation and renewed faith” as well as “a sacred place for pilgrimage,” he said.

The shrine will be created through the merger of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Divine Redeemer parishes. Statutes governing the new entity will be written over the next several months as required by canon law, and policies regarding staffing and operations will be formulated by diocesan leadership, Bishop Golka said.

One of the biggest benefits of the new shrine will be the increased seating capacity and facilities available to Catholics who currently attend Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on East Pikes Peak Avenue, he said.

“It is my prayer that this shrine will provide meaningful and beautiful liturgies in both English and Spanish, celebrating the richness of our shared faith,” Bishop Golka said. “It will also offer generous opportunities for the sacrament of penance, where the weary and burdened may find God’s forgiveness and peace.”

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of the Americas and the Diocese of Colorado Springs. On Dec. 9, 1531, she appeared on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City and instructed St. Juan Diego to request that the local bishop construct a church at the site.

In response to the bishop’s initial skepticism, the Blessed Mother again appeared and instructed St. Juan Diego to gather the Castilian roses that had miraculously bloomed on the hill.  When he unfolded his garment to present the roses to the bishop, all those present were stunned to see the image of Our Lady imprinted on the cloak, showing her as pregnant and dressed in a tunic covered in 46 stars. The pattern forms the constellations that would have appeared in Mexico at the time of the apparition. Today, roughly 20 million pilgrims annually visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, where St. Juan Diego’s tilma is preserved.

Bishop Emeritus Richard Hanifen named Our Lady of Guadalupe patroness of the Diocese of Colorado Springs on Dec. 15, 1991. Each year, a diocesan celebration is held at St. Mary’s Cathedral on or near her feast day on Dec. 12, in addition to various parish celebrations. Until now there has not been a diocesan shrine, however.

In 2023, an Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine was dedicated by Bishop Stephen Berg of Pueblo at Sacred Heart Parish in Fruita, Colorado. To read the story, visit: https://www.diocs.org/Herald/shrine-to-our-lady-of-guadalupe-a-place-of-healing-hope-joy-and-miracles-for-the-grand-valley.