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Father Jose Quintano and Father Phillips
in front of the statue

A Visit from Our Lady
Click here to read the Mass Program
Click here to read about Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe

A permanent shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, was established at St. Francis Xavier Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The pastor of this parish is Fr. Quintano. He was present in Mexico City for the canonization of Juan Diego. At that same ceremony, Pope John Paul II blessed a nine foot hand carved wooden statue of Our Lady that was placed in the shrine in Michigan.

We at St. Wenceslaus were blessed to have been chosen as one of only a few host sites and the only one in Iowa. Fr. Quintano arrived in Iowa City on Friday, August 30, 2002. We enshrined the statue in the Sanctuary and had Mass at 4:30 PM that evening.  At the end of the Liturgy Fr. Quintano presented St. Weceslaus with a wooden cross and plaque with the picture of Pope John Paul II blessing the statue.  St. wenceslaus is now designated to be the Twelfth Station of the Way of The Cross for future pilgrims to follow.

Following this liturgy, in the spirit of St. Wenceslaus hospitality, we hosted a cookout on the lawn for all Mass attendees. Our celebration continued with a 7:00 PM special prayer service conducted by Fr. Quintano on the meaning of Guadalupe & the importance of St. Juan Diego, the newly canonized saint.  We then prayed the rosary and had benediction.

Saturday morning, August 31, we had our regular 7:00 AM Mass with Fr Jose as a concelebrant, with a departure ceremony for those accompanying the statue. It was a unique event as we celebrated our Blessed Mother, Saint Juan Diego and Our Universal Church.

The statue arrived in Grand Rapids on September 7 at 6:30 PM for a dedication where some 2000 people awaited Our Lady. This outdoor liturgy (Mass of the Roses)  was celebrated by the Cardinal from Mexico, Bishop Robert Rose and numerous priests. A grand fiesta of food and music followed.

Our own little shrine - the Twelfth Station of the Cross given to us by Father Quintano.  It is proudly displayed at the entrance to our church.