Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle National Shrine -- San Juan, Texas

(Observer screen grab)

Destination: If southwest Texas or northeast Mexico is on your itinerary this winter, consider planning a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle National Shrine. They are more than ready for visitors.
Masses on Saturday are 6:30 a.m. in Spanish, 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. bilingual, 5:30 p.m. in English; Sunday 7 a.m., 1 and 7 p.m. in Spanish, 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. bilingual, 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in English; weekdays 6:30 and 11:30 a.m., 5:30 p.m. bilingual. The basilica even schedules regular Masses with mariachi music on Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., and Sundays at 9 and 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m.
Photo: A replica of the Jalisco statue of Our Lady of Los Lagos sits in a niche behind the altar in the Texas basilica.
Why to go: The veneration of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos is spreading in the Rockford Diocese thanks to the growing numbers of Catholics with roots in Mexico. The original statue from Mexico drew hundreds at four parishes in the Fox Valley in late September and early October. But this Texas basilica is among the first to be dedicated in her honor on what is now U.S. soil.
The miracle of the statue is the reason for its importance. According to the shrine website, it took place in 1623 at San Juan de Los Lagos in Jalisco, Mexico. A daughter of a traveling acrobat fell during practice and was killed. A native woman who was caretaker at the church urged the parents to place the image of the Virgin Mary over their daughter’s body and pray for Mary’s intercession. They did so and the child came back to life.
In 1949, the pastor at St. John the Baptist Parish in San Juan received permission from the bishop to promote the veneration. He commissioned a copy of the original statue (top of column) from a Guadalajaran artist. While its first two homes were destroyed, it now sits in a niche above the altar in the shrine, which was dedicated in 1980.
Amenities: Pilgrim services include a hotel, cafeteria and retreat center. Check the website for details.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Of course.
Info: Address — Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle  National Shrine, 400 N. Virgen de San Juan Blvd., San Juan, Texas 78589
Phone — 956/787-0033
Website — http://www.olsjbasilica.org//
— Sharon Boehlefeld compiled this story.
Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe - Mexico City, Mexico

(CNS photos)

Destination: We usually think of Our Lady of Guadalupe in December near her feast day. But any time is a good time to make a pilgrimage to the basilica dedicated to her in Mexico City.
Masses in the new Basilica are offered at the main altar every hour on the hour, 6 a.m.-8 p.m., every day of the year. There are also eight Masses in the San Jose Chapel on weekdays (five on Saturdays and Sundays) and in the crypt.
Why to go: The circular basilica houses the original image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. It was bult on the site of a 16th-century church that was finished in 1709.
Built between 1974 and 1976, the new basilica’s circular floorplan makes it possible for the image of the Virgin to be seen from anywhere within the building. It can accomodate up to 50,000 people.
There are nine chapels on the upper floor and crypts, with 15,000 niches and 10 chapels on the lower level.
On the grounds where the new Basilica is located there are also many other buildings, including the original chapel on the exact site of the apparitions to St. Juan Diego, the Church on the Hill (Capilla del Cerrito), and the Old Basilica consecrated in 1709, as well as other chapels.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Of course.

Photos: Top -- Travelers approach the modern Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe  on a pilgrimage in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12, 2017, in Mexico City. (CNS/Carlos Jasso, Reuters) 
Middle left -- The Church of Christ the King (Templo Expiatorio de Cristo Rey), also called the Old Basilica  of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Antigua Basílica de Guadalupe) is lit for evening prayer. it stands near the modern basilica on Marian Square in Mexico City. (CNS photo/David Maung)
Middle right -- The original image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is housed in the modern basilica. (CNS photo/David Maung)

Info: Address — Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Plaza de las Américas 1, Villa de Guadalupe, Villa Gustavo A. Madero, 07050 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Phone —  01(55)5118-0500.
Website, English (unofficial, but helpful) — http://www.sancta.org/basilica.html
Website, Spanish (official) — http://basilica.mxv.mx/web1/-home/index.html

— Sharon Boehlefeld compiled this story.
Send Destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org