May 7, 2026 • Newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
TheCatholicSpirit.com
Cathedral, Incarnation host Madre Peregrina statue during national tour
PHOTOS BY DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
ABOVE: From left, Daysi Carlson and Christina Cruz from St. Jerome in Maplewood, and Rita Hernandez, Blanca Sanchez and Lupita Becerra (with daughter Aitana) from St. Stephen in Anoka come into the sanctuary of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul after Mass April 23 to venerate the Madre Peregrina, a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary that was brought here from Mexico City. It was at the Cathedral for veneration from April 23 to April 26, then moved to Incarnation in Minneapolis, where it is scheduled to remain until May 10. This stop in the Twin Cities is part of a national tour. BELOW: The Madre Peregrina.
By Josh McGovern The Catholic Spirit
Bishop Kevin Kenney shared a message of peace, joy and healing during a Mass April 23 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul welcoming a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Mexico City — the Madre Peregrina — to the Twin Cities. Translated in English to Pilgrim Mother, the Madre Peregrina is a three-dimensional, life-sized replica of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe left on St. Juan Diego’s tilma in 1531 in Mexico City. The statue is on a national tour from the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City as the 500th anniversary of the apparition of Mary approaches. The statue, which takes 18 men and six hours to install, was placed in the Cathedral April 22 and remained there until April 26, when it was moved to Incarnation in Minneapolis from April 27 to May 10.
Six of the 23 parishes with Latino ministry coordinated bus schedules for parishioners to travel to Incarnation to visit the Madre Peregrina statue. Estela Villagrán Manancero, the director of the archdiocese’s Office of Latino Ministry, said that on Mother’s Day, May 10, Incarnation is prepared to welcome thousands of people for the final Mass with Madre Peregrina. Mother’s Day in Mexico annually falls on May 10, she said. For this reason, the Madre Peregrina statue will remain at Incarnation until that day. Manancero said some of the buses will arrive and depart May 9 because visitors will want to spend the next day, Sunday, in their own parish with their families but still wish to see Madre Peregrina while it’s at Incarnation, she said. The statue’s hair was donated by a 13-year-old girl, Manancero said. The eyes on the statue were made by optometrists to accurately depict the eyes of a 13-yearold girl, about the age of the Virgin Mary when she was pregnant with Jesus.
Manancero said she was moved to tears seeing the veneration given to Madre Peregrina by people visiting Incarnation. At the parish, each day the experience was available, different groups of people carrying flowers processed to the statue, she said. One day, children prepared to receive their first Communion brought roses. Another day, couples brought flowers, and still another day families did the same. Before coming to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the statue was in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, the last of seven Wisconsin cities that were part of the tour. Archbishop Bernard Hebda presided at Mass at the Cathedral, with Bishop Kevin Kenney doing the homily and concelebrating with Bishop Michael Izen. A local mariachi band provided the music. In his homily, Bishop Kenney said the Madre Peregrina statue in the Twin Cities is like Mary visiting Elizabeth. She comes with news of hope and joy, the bishop said. “Our Lady of Guadalupe appears as an PLEASE TURN TO MADRE ON PAGE 8
IVF AND INSURANCE 5 | PARISH FESTIVAL GUIDE 6 | PECS IN IRELAND 7 SENIOR STANDOUTS 10-11 | SACRED MUSIC 12 | PILGRIM TALES 14