On December 9, 2023, Bishop Stephen Berg joyously dedicated the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe on a one-acre site located on the grounds of Sacred Heart parish in Fruita with a bilingual Mass of Consecration. This was the highlight after a long period of planning, construction, fundraising, hard work, and earnest prayers by the ‘Mary Committee’ as well as the many parishioners, Deanery members and even strangers, and countless volunteers and donors who donated their talents and treasures to the project. And guiding everything was ‘our Little Mother Mary on the move’, coordinating efforts and creating small but powerful miracles to successfully allow the Shrine grotto and the surrounding garden, meditative path, altar site come to life.

The result was exhilarating and as one parishioner exclaimed, ‘You don’t know what you’ve done for our (Hispanic) community’ and for all the lost souls who are looking to the Virgin for peace. Especially for those who may never have the opportunity to travel to Mexico to experience the power of Juan Diego’s tilma with the Virgin’s image, this local shrine will be a pilgrimage destination which will hopefully encourage spiritual unity and conversion.

As Bishop Berg commented at the dedication: “This shrine on the western slope complements our Shrine of St. Thérèse in Pueblo; we now have two shrines dedicated to our co-patronesses, located on alternate sides of the diocese.”

From the project’s initial stages Bishop Berg was adamant that the shrine should lead children, youth and families to a greater knowledge and love of Our Lady of Guadalupe. To this end he encouraged the youth to help with certain aspects of the construction, and he even found a book that portrays and explains the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe in terms that children can easily understand. This book is a great resource for family catechesis. The Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Grand Valley conveys the message from Mary, the ever-present Mother of the Americas, to all her pilgrims that she is the source of comfort for all those who approach her with their cares and petitions. As she said to Juan Diego so many centuries ago, “¿Yo estoy you aqui que soy tu madre? – “Am I not here, I who am your Mother?” We invite all people to make a pilgrimage of their own...for an encounter of healing and peace with Our Lady and her Son

Shrine Website