Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos: an Oblate Tradition Continues in Belleville, Illinois

By Fr. Salvador Gonzalez, OMI

Faithful to the Constitutions and Rules, their book of life, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate are always close to the people with whom they work, taking into account their values and aspirations (CCRR 8). Listening to the requests of the Spanish-speaking community that gathers almost to full capacity for Mass every Sunday at the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, the Oblates have brought a replica image of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos from the Basilica in Jalisco, Mexico.

The replica now gathers crowds from across the St. Louis Metro East communities to the Shrine Church, where people make a pilgrimage to Our Lady, bringing with them flowers, candles, and prayer requests. Members of the community find in the image a sign of hope and welcome since many of them are away from their homeland. The acquisition of the statue was made possible through the generous donations of faithful people eager to have this blessed image present at the Shrine.

The second part of CCRR 10 reads: “We shall always look on her [Mary] as our mother. In the joys and sorrows of our missionary life, we feel close to her, who is the Mother of Mercy. Wherever our ministry takes us, we will strive to instill genuine devotion to the Immaculate Virgin, who prefigures God’s final victory over all evil.”

Every 8th day of the month, there is a special Mass dedicated to Our Lady of San Juan, followed by the traditional prayer of the Coronilla to the Virgencita. The arrival of the blessed image marked a continuation of the Missionary Oblates’ longstanding commitment to bringing this devotion to the people of the United States. In 1949, Fr. José María Azpiazu, OMI, placed a replica of the Virgen de San Juan de los Lagos statue in his parish in San Juan, Texas. As devotion grew, it led to the construction of the Basilica of San Juan del Valle. The Oblates also serve the San Juan de los Lagos Parish and Shrine in San Antonio, Texas, founded in 1952.

The placing of the image at the Belleville Shrine occurred during the final months of the jubilee year of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the first attributed miracle. As the replica image finds its permanent place at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, it serves as a reminder of God’s enduring love and care for the people of the Metro East community for generations to come.