Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe welcomes 'Madre Peregrina' sculpture to Chicago area

DES PLAINES, Ill. (WLS) -- A life-size sculpture of the Virgin Mary arrived in the suburbs on Wednesday night.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

"Madre Peregrina," which translates to "pilgrim mother," is being welcomed to the Shrine of Our lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines.

There was a celebratory Mass and procession, and hundreds attended.

"It is wonderful; it is absolutely wonderful," Mount Prospect resident Diane Madison said.

Madison reflected on "Our Lady" as a beacon of hope and a protector.

"Luckily we have this heavenly mother who puts her mantle over all these holy innocents," she said.

Organizers expect thousands of worshippers to visit the shrine over the coming weeks.

Worshippers can visit Monday through Friday at the Des Plaines shrine through Sept. 30.

Those wishing to visit must register.

In October, the tour will continue to San Gall and Madre de las Américas in Chicago.

The Chicago area is the first stop on the sculpture's international tour.

She traveled all the way from her home base in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

Teams assembled an experiential exhibit featuring the statue Wednesday.

This tour also is part of a larger lead up to the 500th anniversary of the Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531.

For Celia Espinoza, the experience tied her closer to the Virgin Mary and her faith.

"I stay with the Lady of Guadalupe and God. She's very good for me," Espinoza said.

The shrine's rector and the director of the exhibit said this is a moment that was three years in the making, coming at a time they say hope is needed more than ever.

"The idea is to see and hear what she meant when she came. She didn't just come to say, build me a little church. I will give all of the people in this land and beyond, all my love, help and petition. And boy, do we need some love, do we need some help and do we need some protection," the Very Rev. Esequiel Sanchez said.

Religious leaders hope this installation, through its original music and narrated reflection, will bring the miracle of her appearance to life and renewed life and hope to those in spiritual need.

"We want people not only to look at an image, but it's a whole experience that hopefully makes us think and hopefully opens our hearts," Sanchez said.

To learn more, click here.