FOND DU LAC – A life-sized statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe will visit Fond du Lac as part of a worldwide tour.
The traveling Madre Peregrina (or “Pilgrim Mother”) sculpture — an image of the Virgin Mary — is making a handful of stops in Wisconsin. The statewide tour, which wraps up April 22, started at Milwaukee’s Basilica of Saint Josephat just before heading to Fond du Lac.
The statue comes from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, which is hosting the five-year tour in preparation for the 500th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego in December 1531 on Tepeyac Hill in what is now Mexico City. The international pilgrimage began in August in Chicago, where the statue drew more than 35,000 people the first week.
A one-hour “pilgrim experience” will be offered multiple times each day of the tour at each site, including Holy Family Parish, 271 Fourth St. Way, Fond du Lac.
During each time slot, pilgrims will view a brief presentation, have time for quiet prayer and veneration, and can submit prayer intentions to be carried to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.
The full schedule is available at FondDuLac | GuadalupeWI. Visitors do not need to sign up for a time — they are invited to just come.
Where can I see the Our Lady of Guadalupe statue?
Planned stops in Wisconsin include the following:
After leaving Fond du Lac, an opening Mass celebrated by Green Bay Bishop David Ricken will begin the Green Bay-area tour at 11 a.m. March 6.
To learn more about each of the stops, go to guadalupewi.org.
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Our Lady of Guadalupe statue to visit Fond du Lac on state tour
Reporting by Kendra Meinert, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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