The faithful from across the Chicago area got a unique chance this week to see a statue from Mexico with deep significance in the Catholic faith.

The life-sized Pilgrim Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe statue is normally in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. But it is now on an international tour, and its first stop was in the Chicago area — at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines.

The statue was set to be revealed Wednesday evening following an outdoor mass at the shrine. Some 3,000 people turned out for the occasion.

"The shrine and the Virgen de Guadalupe means the world to me," said Cindy Hernandez of southwest suburban Burbank. "I come here every Wednesday, and I say lots of prayers."

Hernandez is among the thousands who visit the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines. The arrival of the Pilgrim Mother statue sparked joy for her.

"How grateful I am, how happy I am, and how excited that it's coming over here to Chicago," she said.

Esteffani Martinez came out with her family.

"We live in Cicero, so it was a 50-minute drive to see it," Martinez said. "It was very important growing up in the family, you know, the Virgin Mary."

The Very Rev. Esequiel Sanchez is the rector of The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

"The image of our lady of Guadalupe is one of the most significant religious icons that we have in Catholicism," said Sanchez.

Rev. Sanchez said he was on a pilgrimage to Mexico with Blase Cardinal Cupich when he was asked to bring the sculpture back.

"The goal is to teach people a little bit about the history," Sanchez said. "They know the picture, but they don't know that story."

Catholics believe the Virgin Mary appeared before Saint Juan Diego in Mexico in 1531, leaving an image of herself on his cloak.

"The image is made in such a way that it's a three-dimensional one that you can see as though you're looking at what Juan Diego saw," said Sanchez. "So it's incredibly powerful and incredibly beautiful."

People filed into the chapel after mass to see the 4-foot-8-inch sculpture when it was unveiled. The exhibit also features music and audio tb bring the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Juan Diego to life.

"It's as though you're looking at the very thing Juan Diego saw on that very day in 1531," said Sanchez.

Martin Achirica, the exhibit's creator, said the replica took three years to make.

"The same size, the same colors like the original tilma from Saint Diego," Achirica said.

 Rev. Sanchez said the exhibit allows people to think, open their hearts, and relate — no matter their background or tragedy. He pointed to the shooting in Minneapolis on Wednesday that killed two young children and wounded 17 others during a Catholic Mass packed with young students.

"I heard about what happened in Minnesota. And boy, we need repair," Sanchez said. "We need some repair, if over and over again, schools are being attacked and children are being killed."

The sculpture of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be inside the shrine in Des Plaines until Sept. 30. It is part of a five-year tour of the world.

After moving on from the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the statue will then visit several parishes in Chicago in October before moving on to its next international stop.

Sanchez hopes the experience can give visitors a deeper understanding of one of the most revered images in Catholicism.

"This is an exhibit that tries to bridge that gap," Sanchez said. "Why is she so significant? Why is this image touching us so? What is she really saying? What is the image saying?"

Sanchez said the Pilgrim Mother will be a refuge for people not only in Chicago, but around the world as she continues on her international voyage.

"We feel very important to be the first stop," said Martinez.