The 500-year-old Tilma of Tepeyac relic rolled through town.

Catholics filled St. Alexius Parish in Beardstown to see the small piece of the Tilma, or what we now call a cloak, that was worn by Juan Diego in 1531 when he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The memento connects the Catholics to the big event. That's what makes it a relic.

Sunday's stop was big for Beardstown. The Tilma of Tepeyac tour takes the relic across the United States for almost 20 stops in big cities.

"It's a reminder of their faith, a reminder of Christ and His mother. Religiously and spiritually, we've seen people get very moved by this particular relic," said national tour coordinator Andrew Walther.

The relic coordinators chose Beardstown as a stop because of its significant Hispanic population, and the actual relic came from an encounter in Mexico City.