Estela Ruiz - Yearly Celebration at The Shrine

Yearly Celebration At The Shrine

The Ruizes' backyard shrine was an established pilgrimage site from 1989—1998. Ruiz appeared on the Geraldo Rivera Show and on the Sally Jessy Raphaël Show in the early 1990s and since then has traveled extensively to share her experiences. As a result the shrine became one of the most frequented sites of the 1990s. The family also celebrates the anniversary of the first apparition, a celebration that has changed over time. While clergy have always been involved with the family and the phenomenon, the Church has become more involved over time as the shrine and Mary's Ministries have become more institutional. A procession was instituted in 1990, during which processioners carry holy images, statues, and crosses, sing hymns, and sprinkle holy water in the crime-ridden streets of South Phoenix. The hearing of confessions began in the early 1990s, and Mass and the Eucharist began in 1998. Attendance at the yearly celebration grew, peaking at about one thousand for the reading of the final message in 1998. Afterwards, the shrine was converted into an enclosed chapel, and the yard surrounding it was fenced in. Instead of being open to the community at all times, where it was one of the few neutral zones for South Phoenix's gangs, the chapel is now only open at certain hours. And since the final message, the yearly celebration has become more of a retreat for Mary's Ministries members, although the Matachina dancers who attended the first celebration and performed for the Virgin of Guadalupe still attend.