Despite the cold weather, Latino Catholics from across the Chicago area continue to trek to a shrine in Des Plaines for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Some bundled up in ponchos with the Virgin Mary’s image on them while others carried banners or photos of her.
Prayers started Thursday afternoon and went through the night, with singing and dancing.
Crowds outside in the plaza Friday morning were smaller than what WBBM has seen in the past and the massive parking lot had many open spaces.
Many brought flowers as an offering to Our Lady and lit candles as they ask in prayer for her help.
The event is a pilgrimage, with the faithful coming by horseback, semi-trucks, and on foot.
Riccardo told us he walked for five hours to get here from Rogers Park so he could thank the Virgin Mary for his brothers’ cancer going into remission.
One visitor told us the cold is not an issue for believers and he suspects the smaller crowds are due to concerns about immigration.
The Shrine’s rector, the Very Rev. Esequiel Sanchez, told us they will provide comfort and consolation through prayer for those who don’t feel comfortable coming.
“We haven’t forgot you. You’re with us - in one way or another,” he said.
The celebration that’s taken place in Des Plaines for the last 11 years frequently attracts 300 thousand people, and is modeled after one in Mexico.
That’s where Catholics believe the Virgin Mary visited Saint Juan Diego on December 12, 1531.