The Shrine Dedication
July 31 is a great day every year at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe: the anniversary of the dedication of the Shrine Church. This year, as the staff, volunteers, and friends of the Shrine look forward to celebrating the sixteenth anniversary of the dedication, those who have been present from the early days look back with particular gratitude. Among these is Fr. Zachary Edgar, Director of Sacred Liturgy.
Celebrating Anniversary
Recalling the blessings that have built up to the present is essential in human life, at the heart of all celebrations of important dates, and no less valuable in the life of the Church. “When you think about … all the souls who have been given the sacraments,” says Fr. Edgar, “from the altars of these churches, we want to remember the anniversary of dedication the same way that we remember our own birthday or, perhaps even better, our baptismal day.”
Into the Future
In addition to inspiring gratitude, this history points to an end beyond itself: “These things are worth remembering, not only to not forget where we came from, but to remind us of where we’re going.” Indeed, as Fr. Edgar notes, many among the Shrine’s friends and benefactors have already been called to their final home. The memories of these departed ones, like the church building itself, remind those who remain that “the orientation of everything that we’re doing has to be toward heaven.”
Our True Home
Every aspect of the Shrine Church, in both its original construction and its ongoing development, has been designed with this heavenly goal in mind. “Everything that his Eminence has tried to do,” Fr. Edgar says, “that I’ve tried to do, we’ve all tried to do here as a staff, is to ask ourselves, ‘How can we make this better for our pilgrims to remind them of what the ultimate goal of all of this is?’” In the church’s beauty, its relics of the saints, and especially the emphasis on the sacraments, pilgrims are invited to rise in spirit toward their true home.
Set Apart as God’s
The church is dedicated, then, because it is set apart as God’s dwelling place. “Just like we’re dedicated to God at the beginning of our lives,” Fr. Edgar explains, “to be set apart, eventually to be citizens of Heaven, the church building … is an imitation of the heavenly Jerusalem.” The faithful, he adds, are even likened to stones of a sacred building in Ephesians 2:19–20: “You are … built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” Like the church, the people are the dwelling place of God.
Event Details
On this year’s anniversary of dedication, Cardinal Burke will be the main celebrant of an especially joyful 12:15 Mass. All are invited to join the Shrine community in giving thanks for the past sixteen years’ graces and reflecting on the glorious purpose of God’s holy dwelling, both physical and in human hearts.
Decorate the Church this Anniversary with Red Roses!
