Angela Kocherga
KENS 5 Eyewitness News

As many as 10 million people are expected to visit the Basilica de Santa Mariía de Guadalupe in Mexico City this week prior to Sunday's feast day.

The faithful honor the Virgin of Guadalupe with festivities, while some like Anel Martinez fall on their knees.

Martinez said she asked the Virgin to help her sick mother and in gratitude she promised to finish the last leg of her pilgrimage on her knees.

The patron saint of the Americas inspires devotion on both sides of the border, and some of those who cannot make a pilgrimage to her shrine, seek divine intervention — online.

Basilica coordinator Monsignor Pedro Rivera says the church must use every means to communicate with its congregation.

Nearly 200 people a day, many from the United States, seek solace from Mexico's Madonna via the basilica's Web site.

Everyday new request for the Virgin de Guadalupe are downloaded from the official Web site onto a CD and then placed at the feet of the blessed mother where those requests remain for 15 days.

Still, cyberspace is no substitution for those who believe a spiritual journey begins with sacrifice.

If you'd like to make an online request to the Virgin of Guadalupe, visit www.virgendeguadalupe.org.mx.