Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke
Founder of the Shrine
The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe began with then-Bishop Burke, newly assigned to the La Crosse diocese, seeking to help his people rekindle their devotional life. Amid a world of bustle and noise, sources of spiritual refreshment were and are necessary, centers of the truth, goodness, and beauty that the human heart needs.
Pilgrimage
In discerning how to proceed, the new bishop took guidance from Vatican statements leading up to the Jubilee Year 2000, especially regarding pilgrimage and devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe as Patroness of the Americas. Drawing on these, and on the importance that pilgrimage to sacred places has always had for God’s people, in 1999 Bishop Burke announced plans to build a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Vision of the Shrine
The purpose of this shrine was to offer a place where people could “come away … and rest a while” (Mk 6:31), step away from everyday busyness and quiet their hearts, to help them encounter Our Lord through His Mother. Those pilgrims would then draw new strength for their daily lives, returning to their homes, families, and communities with fresh grace and inspiration from their time of pilgrimage.
Thus, from its beginning, Our Lady’s Shrine has been above all “a place of ceaseless prayer for the corporal and spiritual welfare of God’s children, especially those in most need” (Mission Statement). In its ongoing development, the Shrine continually seeks new ways to accomplish that founding vision. From the care and assistance offered to each pilgrim, to the maintenance of the Shrine’s beauty, to the many and varied opportunities to join in devotional events—especially the regular celebration of the Sacraments—everything works to better fulfill the inspiration that moved Cardinal Burke and others, by God’s grace, to establish a place of pilgrimage.
Biography
1948, June, 30
Raymond Leo Burke was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin, on June 30, 1948, the youngest of six children.
1975, June, 29
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.
1995, December, 10
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. He served as Bishop of La Crosse for nine years.
2004, January, 26
Bishop Burke was named Archbishop of Saint Louis, and was installed on January 26, 2004.
2008, June, 27
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.
Pray the Latin Rosary with Cardinal Burke.
“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
