Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Affiliations
the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
&
The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Saint Mary Major - Rome
In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI affiliated the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse to the Papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major) in Rome, the great pilgrimage church of the Eternal City dedicated to the honor of the Mother of God.
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe - Mexico City
In 2021, the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization affiliated the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
This affiliation with the Basilica in Mexico City is especially important because not all pilgrims, especially those of Mexican nationality, have the occasion or possibility to make a pilgrimage each year back to their country of origin. For many Mexican people residing in the United States of America, it is a great help to be able to fulfill the promise by making a pilgrimage to Our Lady’s Shrine in La Crosse rather than to the Shrine of Our Lady in Mexico City.
"Affiliation" means...
"...that when making the traditional pilgrimage to venerate the Virgin of Guadalupe at the Shrine of La Crosse, instead of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, the same spiritual benefits be obtained."
—From the official letter from the Vatican
Read the Official Letter from the Vatican
Spiritual Benefits
Plenary indulgence - the entire remission of temporal punishment due to sin
One special blessing available for pilgrims is that, at the Shrine, there are numerous occasions to gain a plenary indulgence. Some of those occasions occur on certain days
Occasions for plenary indulgence at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
- August 5: The Patronal Feast Day of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major
- December 12: The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Shrine's Patronal Feast Day
- All Solemnities of the the Virgin Mary
More about receiving a plenary indulgence as a pilgrim
