‘Faith moves mountains’ and people through Niles during Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe pilgrimage

Hundreds of Catholic pilgrims braced for the cold on Monday night, walking from churches and block clubs in Chicago up Milwaukee Avenue into and through Niles. They walked with a purpose: to give thanks and ask for a miracle.

The pilgrims were traveling on foot to observe the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, an overnight celebration for many who walk hours to get to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines on Dec. 12. The shrine was expecting hundreds of thousands of people to attend, according to the Archdiocese of Chicago, and a full schedule of masses and festivities, including choirs and folkloric dance groups, had been planned.

Veronica Miranda, a member of St. Padre Pio Catholic Parish at California and Bryn Mawr Avenues on Chicago’s North side, has been walking the five-hour pilgrimage from her church to Des Plaines for five years to give thanks for miracles she has been blessed with, she said. She walked with a group of 12 people from the church and said most come from the Mexican state of Michoacán.

Miranda said she has been a believer her whole life, and has family members who had visions of La Virgen when they were sick. “How could you not believe?” she said.

“She is the mother,” said Miranda, speaking of Our Lady of Guadalupe. “Just like when you were a child and your mother would cover you up, she is the mother of Christ and watches over us and makes sure the world is safe.”

Among the St. Padre Pio group were sisters Maria and Evelyn Del Pilar. Miranda said when Maria Del Pilar was born, she was premature by two months and had serious health problems that almost had her incubated. “I remember praying so many rosaries,” said Miranda. “We are so thankful for our miracles.”

Maria said she has been doing the pilgrimage for four years with her dad and that the pilgrimage means a lot to her.

“God put me here for a reason,” she said, adding that the pilgrimage is always a good way to spread the word. Maria added that while her mother has a health condition that won’t let her be a part of the pilgrimage, her dad would take pilgrimages in Mexico that would take days and some even a week to complete.

Maria said she uses her own story of receiving a miracle to motivate her as she puts herself through school and work. “Sometimes I feel like I am ready to quit, but everything is possible through faith and hope. Faith moves mountains,” she said.

Farther north on Milwaukee Avenue, the McDonald’s near Oakton Avenue started to become crowded with pilgrims looking to briefly rest during the night’s journey. Some people bring coffee and champurrado, or Mexican hot chocolate, when they walk the pilgrimage route, but there is no immediate substitute for a chair, a break from the cold and a restroom.

Spread along four tables, a single group from Rogers Park took some respite from their six-hour walk. Maria Paz organized the 19 friends and neighbors who walked from the neighborhood, which has gotten bigger every single time it has been put together for five years. They aren’t affiliated with any church, she said. “We came here on our own account,” she said.

The weather on Monday night was in the 30s, but Paz said she was thankful that there hadn’t been any snow or rain for pilgrimages in the past two years. She recalled a time when a woman came from the city barefoot, and by the time she made it to the shrine, her feet were cracked and bleeding. She commented that some pilgrims will take those lengths out of humility and gratitude. Everyone in her group was well-outfitted with coats and shoes, however.

Paz said she started doing the pilgrimage five years ago to give thanks for her son’s health. At 10 years old her son, Oscar Palacios, was hospitalized for a stroke caused by a tumor in his brain that has since been removed, she said, leaving her son living with paralysis. All the same, Paz said she was thankful for her miracle.

Not everyone taking part in the pilgrimage was contending with life or death matters. Luis Zhunio of Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood said it was the second time he participated in the pilgrimage, walking with a group of about 15 people for five hours. This time around, he gave thanks for his miracle, which was that strong back pain he endured for two weeks went away on its own after much prayer, he said.