Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe

What Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe does

The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe) is a Catholic religious institution canonically established on January 1, 2013 by Cardinal Francis George of the Archdiocese of Chicago, on a 62.5-acre campus in Des Plaines, Illinois, near O'Hare Airport. The community of Guadalupan faithful that became the shrine traces its origins to 1986-1988, when a statue from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City began devotional pilgrimages in the Chicago area and was hosted by Maryville Academy. In 1997, the Mexico City Basilica designated the site the 'Cerrito del Tepeyac de Chicago' and granted faculties enabling it to offer plenary indulgences to pilgrims, reaffirmed by Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes in 2023. The shrine operates the San Jose Chapel (capacity 1,200), Mariana Chapel (capacity 250), the Casa Francisco George and Casa John Manz retreat center, the La Tilma gift shop, and grounds including a replica of the Cerro del Tepeyac.

The shrine generates revenue through a hybrid of suggested donations and modest fees across multiple streams: Sunday offertory and general donations (processed via Pushpay), sacramental offerings (baptism $100, marriage $500-$600, quinceañera $500-$600, funeral Mass $300, mass intentions $10, sacramental records $15), facility rental donations (San Jose Chapel $350, Mariana Chapel $250, salons $40-60 capacity), and gift shop sales. Customer segments are primarily Spanish-speaking Catholic families with Mexican heritage (four of five Sunday Masses are in Spanish), with secondary audiences including adult initiation candidates (RICA), youth sacramental preparation (First Communion, Confirmation), children with disabilities (SPRED), and international pilgrims. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on the website (solg.org), weekly bulletins, annual events (Fiesta Guadalupana, Gala), organized pilgrimage groups, and word-of-mouth within Catholic networks.

Strategic positioning is anchored on the approaching December 12, 2031 celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the Guadalupan Apparitions, for which the shrine is being promoted as a major U.S. preparation destination. Recent years have seen sustained physical expansion — including transformation and consecration of the San Jose Chapel (2016), new signature entrance arches (2021), renovation of the Chapel of Christ Resurrected after arson (2023), and renovation of the Marian Chapel (2024) — alongside development of digital fundraising, retreat programming, and religious education offerings. The organization is a non-profit operating under the Archdiocese of Chicago with no external investors, funding rounds, or equity instruments.

Name

Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Legal name

Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe

Website

https://solg.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Catholic sanctuary in Des Plaines, Illinois, serving Spanish-speaking Catholic families, pilgrims, and sacramental candidates through worship, religious education, retreats, and community programming on a 62.5-acre campus under the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Plaines, IL

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Donations and Tithes: The shrine receives monetary donations from pilgrims and community members through its Pushpay platform, including weekly offertory (Offrenda Dominical), general donations, Easter donations, and commemorative donations. Donations support the shrine's religious, social, and cultural activities.
2. Facility Rental: Rental of shrine facilities including San Jose Chapel (capacity 1100, suggested donation $350) and Mariana Chapel (capacity 250, suggested donation $250) for weddings, quinceaneras, baptisms, funerals, and classes. Additional rental spaces include Salon de San Martin de Porres (capacity 50-60) and Salon de Santa Teresa de Calcuta (capacity 40).
3. La Tilma Gift Shop Sales: La Tilma is the shrine's gift shop selling religious articles including books in Spanish, saint images, frames, candles, and sacred art crafted by Mexican and Latin American artisans. The shop operates as a non-profit, with all proceeds supporting shrine ministries and development.
4. Sacramental Fees: Fees for sacramental services including baptism ($100 donation), marriage ($500-$600 depending on chapel), quinceaneras ($500-$600), and funeral Mass ($300). Sacramental records available for $15 per certificate.
5. Mass Intentions and Prayer Requests: Mass intentions offered for $10 per person mentioned. Rosary prayer petitions accepted for a donation, with intentions included in daily rosary prayers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

No source-supported description available.

Product overview

Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Catholic sanctuary offering religious services, facility rentals, and spiritual programs. The organization provides a comprehensive portfolio including chapel rental services (San José Chapel with 1,100 capacity and Mariana Chapel with 250 capacity), the La Tilma gift shop (non-profit religious retail), a retreat center (Casa Francisco George y Casa John Manz), and multiple sacraments (Baptism, Marriage, Quince Años, Confession, Anointing of the Sick, Funerals). Religious education programs include First Communion preparation, Confirmation preparation, RICA for adults, and SPRED for children with disabilities. The shrine also offers pilgrimage services and hosts the annual Guadalupana Feast Day celebration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300,000 pilgrims visited during 2015 Feast of Guadalupe celebrations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered foundational, core and minor.

• Maryville AcademyfoundationalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Maryville Academy, a children's home and rehabilitation center in Des Plaines, provided the original home for the Guadalupan community starting in 1988. Rev. John P. Smyth, President of Maryville, welcomed the image and faithful devotions. Maryville supported the community for seven years and continues to be adjacent to the shrine. Cardinal Francis George assigned 62.5 acres of Maryville land for the formal shrine establishment.
• Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico City)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 1997The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City granted an extraordinary blessing to the shrine in June 1997, naming it the 'Cerrito del Tepeyac de Chicago.' Mons. Esteban Martinez, Rector of the Basilica, blessed and enthroned the replica image. This relationship granted the shrine faculties to offer plenary indulgences to pilgrims making promises to Our Lady of Guadalupe as if present at the Basilica. The blessing was reaffirmed by Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes in 2023 during the 10th anniversary celebrations.
• Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of ChicagominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral partnership for families seeking burial services. The shrine recommends Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago for burial arrangements following funeral Masses, providing informational resources to families.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Mission San Juan Capistrano: A historic Catholic mission and pilgrimage/tourism site in California. Comparable as a heritage Catholic site that combines religious programming, gift shop/retail, and visitor/pilgrim hospitality to sustain operations.

Direct peers

• Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe: The original Basilica in Mexico City and the shrine's spiritual anchor. Comparable as the canonical source of the Guadalupan devotion the Des Plaines shrine replicates, granting the Des Plaines site its unique faculties.
• Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception: The largest Catholic church in North America and a U.S. national Marian shrine. Comparable as a large-scale Catholic pilgrimage destination operating national-scale programming, Mass schedules, and visitor infrastructure in the U.S.
• National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help: The first and only Vatican-approved Marian apparition site in the U.S. (Champion, WI). Comparable as a U.S. Catholic Marian pilgrimage destination with a defined devotional focus, canonical recognition, and pilgrim hospitality operations.
• National Shrine of the Divine Mercy: Located in Stockbridge, MA under the Marian Fathers. Comparable as a U.S. Catholic devotional shrine with a defined apparition/devotion focus, pilgrimage programming, gift shop, and retreat center on a dedicated campus.
• Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe (La Crosse, WI): A U.S. Catholic shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Most directly comparable peer — same Marian devotion, similar pilgrimage and sacramental programming, and competing for the same Spanish-speaking Catholic pilgrimage market in the Midwest.

Regional players

• Holy Name Cathedral: The seat of the Archdiocese of Chicago (the same archdiocese that oversees the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe). Comparable as a Chicago-area Catholic institution offering daily Masses, sacraments, and bilingual ministries under the same archdiocesan authority.

Broad incumbents

• Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels: The mother church of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Comparable as a large-scale Catholic Marian-named institution serving a major Hispanic Catholic community with multiple Masses, sacramental programming, and gift shop operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/santuarioguadalupe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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