While Danica was relaxing at the spa, we went home and made a Christmas snack mix, and various candies that Tommy and Addi could dip. We all had a great time and there was a lot of tasting going on. We made enough for nice Christmas gift boxes that the kids could give to their Daddy, their Grandma Joey, Chance and there was some for them too. When we were done cleaning up the mess, we headed back to McAllen to pick up Danica. She had beautiful finger and toe nails and looked refreshed.
We decided that she should really get to see the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle National Shrine which is in San Juan, a short drive from McAllen. We have been to this basilica several times before but it is always amazing.
The basilica really became a reality because of the tiny statue of Our Lady of San Juan or "La Virgen de San Juan". In 1623 a acrobat traveling with his wife and children stopped in San Juan de los Lagos to give a performance. During the act, their youngest daughter fell and was killed. An Indian woman who took care of the church begged the family to place the image of the Virgin Mary over their daughter's body and to pray for the Virgin's intercession. A miracle occurred and the child was brought back to life. The word of this miracle spread throughout Mexico.
In 1949 when Rev. Jose Maria Azpiazu became the pastor of the parish of St, John the Baptist in San Juan, he decided that fostering the devotion of the Virgin Mary would draw the people together. He received permission from the Bishop to commission an artist in Guadalajara, Mexico to make a reproduction of the statue that was venerated at San Juan de Los Lagos. The small statue in the main altar is this same statue. It was saved during the burning of the first church. The Mexican people so loved the Virgin Mary that they contributed whatever they had to build the Shrine that now exists here in San Juan.
The basilica was dedicated in 1980 and the shrine was designated as a National Shrine in 1998. This church was built after the first church was destroyed in a fire in 1970. What is amazing is that this area should not be able to support this type of facility. The basilica was paid for by some of the poorest of the poor in the United States. The congregation here is very active. The basilica has 2030 seats and Sister told us that all Masses are full. They have Spanish, Bilingual and English Masses on Saturday and Sunday. Besides the congregation, the basilica gets around 20,000 visitors each week (that's a million each year).
Of course, it was decorated beautifully for the Advent Season.
After we left the basilica, we decided to take the kids out to Fiesta Tex-Mex in Weslaco where they could experience some of the Mexican food down here in the valley. We aren't great fans of Mexican but Danica and the kids are so we figured they should have at least one Mexican meal while they are here. We have eaten with friends at the Fiesta Tex-Mex before so we knew we could find something we like and, of course, their home made tortilla chips are great.
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