While the Our Lady of San Juan del Valle Shrine was destroyed by a fire that was caused when a plane deliberately crashed into it on Oct. 23, 1970, it made the faith in the Rio Grande Valley even stronger.

The church realized they needed a new home for the statue of Our Lady of San Juan Del Valle, and people still needed a place to worship. 

Six years after the plane crash, the Diocese of Brownsville broke ground on the new house of worship that would become the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle - National Shrine we know today.

RELATED STORY: Reflections of the San Juan Shrine Plane Crash: Witnesses describe devastating plane crash

The Basilica is the second most visited shrine in the United States, with over a million visitors from around the world coming to visit.

They pray, light candles, or just walk around the grounds. 

Monsignor Juan Nicolau is the last surviving priest of the 50 that were inside the original shrine when the plane crashed into it in 1970.

Their safety, and the fact that the statue of Our Lady was left untouched by the crash, was seen as divine protection by Our Lady of San Juan. 

READ MORE ABOUT THE STATUE HERE

By 1972, the church started plans for the new shrine.  The shrine we know was completed in 1980.

In 1997, Monsignor Nicolau was named the first rector of the new shrine. The following year, he made a request. 

"I also asked the bishops of Texas, ‘make this a national sanctuary,’ and it also was accepted,” Monsignor Nicolau said.

But Monsignor Nicola and the Diocese of Brownsville knew there was more work to be done. 

“I asked the Vatican to make this sanctuary a Basilica,” Monsignor Nicolau said.

Due to its significance, Pope John Paul II felt the new shrine was worthy of the title “Minor Basilica.”

READ MORE: Reflections of the San Juan Shrine Plane Crash: Sacred relics of original shrine serve as a symbol of faith and resilience

In 1999, the shrine became one of four in Texas with that title. 

“So now it's a national sanctuary and also basilica minor,” Monsignor Nicolau said.

Fifty-Five years after a crash nearly took his life and destroyed the beacon of faith in the Valley, Monsignor Nicolau is still celebrating mass in a place he helped establish. 

Instead of the crash destroying the faith, it made it stronger. 

This week, Channel 5 News is taking a look at the 55th anniversary of the plane crash as part of our special report, Reflections of the San Juan Shrine Plane Crash.

Watch the video above for the full story.