By Tracy Rusch

Catholic Herald Staff

MILWAUKEE — The statue of the Virgin of Zapopan will make its second trip from Zapopan, a wealthy suburb in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, to Milwaukee for Mexican Fiesta to be held Aug. 21-23.

Fr. Andrés Casillas from Zapopan will accompany the statue from Mexico, and will hear confessions from 6-8 p.m. each day at the Maier Festival Park on Milwaukee’s lakefront, in the makeshift sanctuary, north of the Cultural Village, where the statue will be located throughout the weekend.

The 10 a.m. Mass procession on Sunday, Aug. 23 will be led by the Virgin of Zapopan, starting at the main gates of the festival grounds and ending at the Marcus Amphitheater, where Jesuit Fr. José Moreno will celebrate Mass. The southgate entrance will close for Mass at 11:30 a.m. All priests and deacons are welcome and all Mexican Festival Mass attendees receive reduced admission for $5.

Ray Bacalzo, Mexican Fiesta volunteer, said the Virgin of Zapopan, a statue that the Spaniards brought from Europe about 400 years ago, is credited with miracles.

“I’ve heard that there are miracles attributed to the devotion of the Blessed Mother of Zapopan at her church – crutches, canes and all kinds of stuff – people have been cured,” he said.

Former coordinator of Hispanic Pastoral Services for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Pedro Martinez, said that there is a strong devotion to the patron saint of Jalisco.

“They call it the ‘General from Guadalajara,’ so the protection of Jalisco state,” Martinez said. “It is very important because there’s a lot of people from that region and it’s just a very, very strong devotion to our Blessed Mother of Zapopan.”

Martinez also said that devotion is easily seen in the Basilica of Zapopan, her home church, in the form of flowers and gifts left at the site of the statue by the people she’s helped through her intercessions. Martinez said the Virgin of Zapopan travels to all of the parishes in Jalisco state and visits each for a few days.

“It’s like a big fiesta – a big celebration – in every parish,” Martinez said, but that’s not to be confused with the origin of these miracles. “…God is the one that performs the miracles, but through the intercession of Our Lady of Zapopan.”

Mexican Fiesta marketing administrator Claudia Ramirez also said Mass will feature the performance of a Mexican mariachi group, Mariachi Cobre.

“It is a wonderful way to showcase our wonderful culture in which we hold our religious beliefs very highly.”

For more information, call (414) 383-6677 or e-mail fiestamilw@aol.com.