I drove into La Crosse, WI to the Shrine of Guadalupe and what a beautiful shrine it is!
Although beautiful is too small a word to describe the Shrine buildings and grounds. Set on the side of a high hill, the paved path can be strenuous enough for some (me) to warrant a ride on a golf cart. Along the path, there are benches and places for prayer, including a statue of St. Joseph the Worker, Kateri Tekawitha, an amazing Votive candle chapel, Stations of the Cross and Rosary walk, among others.
One thing the Lord has been trying to change in me is for me to S-L-O-W D-O-W-N. Not an easy thing for me to do. I’m sure most of us feel like we never have enough time, but with all my responsibilities with my husband, I was on my feet from the time we got up in the morning until the time we went to bed. I had to be efficient. I was known for never making more than one trip from the car to the house with groceries no matter how many bags I had.
So, one of my goals beginning this week would be to slow down and take my time wherever I went. If I were supposed to talk to or pray for someone, I couldn’t be looking too far ahead. So instead of spending one day at the shrine, I would spend at least two.
One thing that struck me was the fearlessness of the people at the shrine. Because the shrine is independent of a diocese and under the authority of Cardinal Burke, they are allowed to have Holy Water at the doors. There is a sign at the fonts saying, “Please bless yourself with the holy water in the fonts which has a special blessing against contagious viruses.” WOW! These are Catholics who actually believe in the power of blessings and Sacramentals! Shocking!
On day two, right at closing time, a storm moved in and I got stuck in the church with two other ladies. As we waited for the storm to subside and walk the 15 minutes to the parking lot, we introduced ourselves. Mary and Judith were there making their own pilgrimage to the shrine before they would renew their consecration to the Marian Catechist Apostolate on Sunday.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the international headquarters for the apostolate (mariancatechist.com) and every year, the members come to attend a conference and renew their vows. This year, however, there would be no conference due to COVID-19, but there would be a Mass and ceremony with Cardinal Burke.
Mary and Judith were very gracious, and we spent the rest of the week together. They introduced me to two amazing priests. One, Fr. James Altman, Pastor of St. James the Less, LaCrosse, WI (www.saintjameslax.com) and popular on (www.complicitclergy.com), and the other, Fr. Czerwonka, who is a renown Iconographer.
A late vocation, Fr. Altman has been a CPA, banker and lawyer/litigator. He has been in meetings with men of financial significance and political power. So he knows and understands the banking industry and political scene, past and present, more so than the average person.
We attended Fr. Altman’s Masses. His homilies are stunning with their uncompromising truth and fearless finger-pointing. Yet the man is kind and joyful in person. His celebration of the (ad orientem) Mass, aside from his homilies, is deeply reverent, prayerful and moving. I highly recommend watching his daily Mass on the church’s website. You’ll begin to learn, as I am, what is really going on right now.
As circumstances would have it, I had the opportunity to have two meals with Fr. Altman with two separate groups of people. During the second of which, Iconographer, Fr. Czerwonka, who also has multiple degrees, joined us. His Icons are stunning in their beauty and depth of meaning. Then, Fr. Czerwonka took three of us to his house to see his collection of church art, prints, statues, fonts, and furniture that he has collected and rescued from a variety of places including antique shops.
On Saturday night, Mary, Judith and I went to the Holy Hour at the Shrine which was followed by the Sunday Vigil Mass which had a ceremony for inducting 15 young girls into the Daughters of the Rosary. The Mass was celebrated by none other than Cardinal Burke. After the Mass he was available for pictures for any of the girls and families who wanted some taken.
Mary, Judith and I looked at each other with temptation in our eyes. So of course, we did, too. The Cardinal is a wise and gentle man, uncompromising in his faithfulness to the Church and the Magisterium.
As the three of us made the 15 minute trek down the hill to our cars, I asked Judith if, when she received the Eucharist, she felt different. She nodded. We both agreed that it shouldn’t have felt different to receive the Eucharist having been consecrated by the Cardinal than by any other priest, but it did.
The next day we attended a Q and A session with Cardinal Burke. There were purposely no recordings taken of this time. In the past, recordings had been posted on the Marian Catechist website. But then, people who do not like the Cardinal would take the recordings, edit them and twist the meanings of the Cardinal’s words. So, now no recordings of these private sessions with the Cardinal are allowed.
Looking back at the week, I am stunned at the many gifts and surprises the Lord gave to me. The seriousness with which these people live their lives. the level of faith they have in the power of God and the Church is encouraging and provoking. I wanna be like them when I grow up. It was such an honor to meet and be in the presence of these brilliant and uncompromisingly faithful men and women of God.
