Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Cardinal Burke
Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke
Raymond Leo Burke was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin, on June 30, 1948, the youngest of six children. He began his priestly formation as a high school student at Holy Cross Seminary in La Crosse. After studying philosophy at The Catholic University of America and theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, he was ordained to the holy priesthood by Pope Paul VI at St. Peter’s Basilica on June 29, 1975.
As a priest, Father Burke served as Associate Rector of the Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Workman in La Crosse, and also taught religion at Aquinas High School.
In 1980, he returned to Rome for studies in Canon Law, and obtained a Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1984. He subsequently served as Moderator of the Curia and Vice Chancellor of the Diocese of La Crosse. In 1989, he was appointed Defender of the Bond at the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura in Rome.
On December 10, 1994, Monsignor Burke was appointed Bishop of La Crosse by Pope Saint John Paul II, who consecrated him a Bishop on January 6, 1995. After almost nine years of service as Bishop of La Crosse, during which he founded the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe at La Crosse, Bishop Burke was named Archbishop of Saint Louis, and was installed on January 26, 2004. On June 27, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Archbishop Burke Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals on November 20, 2010. Appointed in November of 2014, Cardinal Burke is the Cardinal Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. In September of 2017, Cardinal Burke was appointed as a member of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.
As Founder of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Cardinal Burke continues to serve as President of the Board of Directors of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
"The Coming of the Son of God into the world is the true and lasting remedy of our spiritual poverty, God the Father's perfect act of love for us as His sons and daughters. The Mother of God, Our Lady of Guadalupe, is constantly directing us to the mystery of the Incarnation which gives us unfailing hope and sound direction for our lives."
- Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke
Pilgrimage to a Sacred Place
Cardinal Burke on Devotions
Cardinal Burke's Inspiration for the Shrine