Restoration, repairs, new leadership coming to San Juan basilica

SAN JUAN — The amount of money collected for the restoration and improvement campaign for the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle-National Shrine was not enough to tackle all the issues the church had hoped to address, but the clergy are still grateful for the amount received, said the Rev. Eduardo Ortega, rector of the basilica.

The campaign to restore the religious home to millions of pilgrims started July 1, 2009, and closed almost $500,000 short of its goal, the basilica’s spiritual leader announced at a luncheon Wednesday.

“Yes, we probably set our goals a little bit too high,” said a poised Ortega to a room full of donors and supporters. “But we understand we are in the middle of an economical crisis. Still, we thank God for getting the response of many people.”

The campaign sought to collect a total of $750,000 for various structural and liturgical needs; however, it fell short of the goal by about 68 percent with a total collection of $242,060.

According to San Juan, a book written by the city’s economic development corporation, the church — now in its 30th year — was built as a symbol of resilience after a local pilot intentionally flew his plane into the city’s first shrine Oct. 23, 1970. The fiery crash destroyed all but the tower that still stands today just south of the basilica.

The new house of worship opened as the Virgen de San Juan del Valle Shrine on April 19, 1980. Eight years later it was designated a national shrine, and in 1999 it was honored as a basilica.

“The (basilica) title is very important,” Ortega said. “Since we’re not a parish, we don’t have a community. The tradition of a parish is to have a community, but the basilica is a place for pilgrims. Everybody that comes here is a pilgrim. In other words, they come visit Our Lady, and then go home to their parish.”

The basilica receives an average of 25,000 visitors per week, and it’s starting to show, Ortega said.

The preservation effort included the restoration of the main entrance doors and of the stained and eroded limestone that dresses the structure. Repairs were also needed for the restrooms, air control system, and bell tower.

The church also wanted to build more public facilities, a catwalk, a wheelchair ramp and an emergency vehicle ramp. An upgrade to the lighting system was also necessary.

The stained-glass windows were in need of maintenance, and the basilica sought to purchase new vestments, altar linens and chalices for the liturgy.

However, because the fundraising campaign did not yield the amount needed to cover all the expenses, some of the pricier improvements, such as the lighting system upgrade and the addition of more restrooms, had to be put on the back burner. Nevertheless, all planned improvements will be completed in due time, said Dunia Cantu, the basilica’s development director.

The church will raise money through other fundraising activities like golf tournaments or galas to complete the needed improvements, Cantu said.

“We’ve already spent $95,000 on repairs that needed immediate attention” Ortega said.

That included adding an emergency vehicle ramp and repairing the main doors and making them accessible by wheelchair-users. Side doors were also purchased and are in the process of being installed. The bells and air conditioning system in one of the three towers were repaired, partitions of the outside restrooms have been replaced, and the church’s maintenance workers are building a catwalk to facilitate upkeep of the lighting and sound systems.

The rector said church officials didn’t want to spend the rest of the money until the campaign closed, in case a big donation came in and allowed for the more expensive projects to be undertaken.

“But since we didn’t collect that much money,” Ortega said, “we’re going to start paying for the smaller projects.”

The church also bought three chalices for about $5,000 each.

“Our chalices are expensive just to communicate the awesomeness of what the body and blood of our lord Jesus Christ represents to us,” he said, adding that as rector he is accountable for the use of donations.

“We are accountable for the money that this basilica brings,” he said. “And that’s why we have a board of directors, and we have an auditor that audits us every three months and is checking up on how we spend our money. All the money we spend is in order to fulfill the mission of Jesus Christ.”

The spiritual leader noted there is no way to measure how well the church is doing in carrying out its 2,000-year-old mission, but there are indicators.

“If a person walks into the basilica and experiences a sense of welcome, then we are successful,” he said. “The basilica is like the emergency room of a hospital. Anybody can come in. Whether they are Catholic or not Catholic, believer or non-believer, anybody can come in.”

Before he jokingly finished his speech with an “amen,” he announced that he no longer would be rector of the basilica.

“I will be leaving on September 1st, and I can only say good and thankful things about everybody during these four years that I have been here,” he said.

State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, was among the group of supporters and praised the rector’s leadership and his accountability.

“There have been active leaders in the past, but you’ve been an exemplary leader,” Lucio said. “And I think it is incumbent on us to make sure that we challenge, in a very nice way, the new rector to make sure that he keeps up with you, and hopefully takes it to another level, if it is at all possible.”