Pilgrimage

This last Thursday, we took off for a day trip up to La Crosse, Wisconsin. Thursday ended up being an excellent day to go as it was cloudy, breezy, and cool. The high was 75 degrees for the day. We made it to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The shrine was founded in the mid to late 90s by His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke back when he was bishop of La Crosse. After turning off the main highway, we followed the road to the entrance drive to the shrine and on to the parking lot next to the visitors center. Going inside, we looked around and after obtaining a map of the complex, we decided to ride up to the top rather thttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhan walk it as it would have been a good hike, taking time we didn't have. So we and I think another person got on the golf cart with the driver and took off.

From the parking lot, one can see the visitors center and above it the candle chapel. The cart took us up the path, which was out in the open up through the first switchback and then to the chapel. We picked up another man there and then went on our way up as the path became shrouded in trees. Along the way were memorials and benches for resting, but our cart kept going up to the shrine church.

The inside of the church is pretty impressive. Here are a couple of pictures to get an idea.

The sanctuary

Down the nave

After that, we decided to hike back down the hill since a ride back down required four and we were only three. Along the way, we stopped at the candle chapel and then the visitors center before heading back home. An interesting coincidence is that we headed south and ended up driving past the Dickeyville Grotto. It will have to wait for another trip.