St. Bernadette Shrine - Albuquerque, New Mexico

(Photo: www.shrineofstbernadette.com)

Destination: The St. Bernadette Shrine in Albuquerque, N.M., is an ideal place to stop for a few minutes of relaxation and prayer for anyone on a road trip through the southwest. Housed at St. Bernadette Parish, it was elevated to a diocesan shrine by Archbishop Michael Sheehan of Santa Fe, N.M., on Oct. 7, 2003.
Masses at the parish are 4:30 p.m. Saturday; 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m. (bilingual), 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Sunday; 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday; 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., First Friday.
Why to go: The replica of St. Bernadette is a visible sign of the special relationship this New Mexico parish has developed with the Marian shrine at Lourdes, France. It was there that Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous, then a 14-year-old girl, in 1858.
There are several relics of the saint at the shrine, including locks of her hair and an article of clothing.
It is one of only three churches in the United States officially allowed to dispense water from Lourdes.
Pilgrims visiting the shrine may be granted a plenary indulgence for the remission of the temporal punishment due to sins.
Outdoor Stations of the Cross at the church are also unique. Originally commissioned for St. Matthias Church in Chicago, according to the shrine’s Web site, “they had been stored in a basement and forgotten. Dan Paulos, the shrine’s director, was doing research for a book about the late American artist Virginia Broderick, when he learned of the stations. They were painted on aluminum as one, 36-foot piece in 1973. The pastor in Chicago offered to sell the art to the Albuquerque parish.”
Access: The one-story church is easily accessible.
(Grand) Kid friendly: As with any parish, children are welcome. The outdoor Stations provide a great opportunity to stroll and pray if you “motor west.”
Info: Address: St. Bernadette Shrine, 1800 Martha St., NE, Albuquerque, NM, 87112.  Phone: 505/298-7557. Web: www.shrineofstbernadette.com

- Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld
Send your Catholic destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org