Fr. Juan Zárate talks about the impact of the pilgrimage on the Hispanic community of the diocese
By William Van de Planque | On Mission
Photography courtesy of The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion
CHAMPION, WI — Thousands of pilgrims flocked to The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion for the visit of the Pilgrim Mother, a life-sized statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, during its residency at the shrine from Friday, March 6, to Wednesday, March 11, 2026.
The visit was one of the many stops on its global tour in anticipation of the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Tepeyac Hill in Mexico in 1531.
“What better place for this pilgrimage to come to than the other apparition site on our continent,” said Fr. Tim Oudenhoven, a priest of the Diocese of La Crosse who is helping coordinate the Wisconsin stages of the international pilgrimage. “It’s such a joy that we have a union of the apparitions of Mary, both at Tepeyac and here at Champion.”
Fr. Juan Zárate, the pastor of St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Green Bay, celebrated Mass in Spanish for pilgrims at the Shrine on Sunday, March 8.
“It is a joy for the Hispanic community to receive the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in our Diocese of Green Bay,” Fr. Zárate said. “In the pilgrimages, we see families seeking consolation, young people crying out for a different future, migrants asking for protection, and victims yearning for justice. Each pilgrim on the move represents an act of hope that resists social disillusionment.”
Fr. Zárate was born in Mexico City and was ordained at the foot of the original image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe on May 17, 2008.
“For me, it is a great honor to have this image among us, brought from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, because… at her feet I was ordained a priest,” he said. “Every time I encounter an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I continue to feel the same emotion, joy, and gratitude to God for this heavenly gift.”
“I remember that every December 12, millions of people walk toward the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Pilgrims walk wearily, carrying promises, heavy silences, and enduring hopes. In a country currently marked by polarization, fear, and violence, the image of these pilgrims reminds us that Mexico still knows how to walk together.”
Each day of the visit at the shrine in Champion consisted of multiple sessions of the “Pilgrim Experience,” where visitors learned about the significant moments of the 1531 apparitions to St. Juan Diego, prayed a decade of the Rosary together, and had the opportunity to approach the statue for veneration.
The week-long event began with an opening Mass celebrated by Bishop David Ricken. Concelebrating the Mass were Fr. Anthony Stephens, CPM, the rector of The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, and Fr. Oudenhoven.
“This is what Msgr. Hernández Díaz, the rector of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, said about this visit: ‘This veneration experience will awaken a renewed sense of devotion and will build the ties between our nations,’” Bishop Ricken said at the opening Mass.
“Our Lady of Guadalupe not only represents highly sacred values that give identity to our Hispanic people, of whom she is Mother, guardian, and example, but she is also a symbol of immense value in Latin America, of which she is also Patroness, and recognized as Empress of all the Americas,” Fr. Zárate said. “This is without diminishing the immense importance she has throughout the world.”
In his homily, Bishop Ricken talked about the similarities between the Marian apparitions in Mexico and those in Wisconsin, as identified by Marian theologian and author Fr. Edward Looney.
Fr. Looney, a priest of the Diocese of Green Bay, also serves as the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Shawano.
“First of all, the recipients of the apparitions were both young adults; laity, but connected to the Franciscan order,” Bishop Ricken said.
St. Juan Diego and Servant of God Adele Brice “pointed to the sacraments,” he said.
When Mary, the Mother of God, revealed herself as such to St. Juan Diego, she asked him to build a shrine or a church at the same location so she could show her love to all.
“On Saturday morning, December 9, Mary made it clear why she wanted this new church to be built on Tepeyac,” Fr. Oudenhoven said during his talk after the opening Mass. “The first reason was for the unity of races, for the coming together of everybody, as there was massive division at that time.”
Our Lady of Guadalupe is “a perfect inculturation of the Gospel,” Fr. Zárate said. “Her figure unites cultures, languages, and sensibilities because she speaks the language of the heart. Therefore, even those who do not consider themselves close to the Church find in her a symbol of identity, dignity, and human connection.”
“Today, when the world needs bridges, not walls, dialogue, not confrontation, Guadalupe reminds us once again that we are one people, called to rebuild trust and overcome indifference,” he said. “Her message is to listen, welcome, protect, and accompany.”