House of Mary Shrine, Yankton, S.D.

(Observer photo/ www.thehouseofmaryshrine.org)

Destination: Located 6 miles west of Yankton, SD, on South Dakota Rte. 52, the House of Mary Shrine is located near Lewis and Clark Lake and Campground. If this is your summer to follow the trail of these early American explorers, don’t miss this stop on the trail of Catholic missionaries and pioneers who followed them.
Masses are at 9 a.m. Saturday and, from May to September, at 9 a.m. Mondays.
Why to go: Ed and Jean English bought some land in 1957 near what is now Lewis and Clark Lake, says the shrine website. When they took a priest to tour their parcel, he told them to set some apart for “an edifice to God.” Plans for a retreat center fell through, but area Catholics kept the land in their minds and their prayers.
First, they put up three crosses. Then, in 1970, a group asked Bishop Lambert Hoch of Sioux Falls, S.D., to build a shrine to Mary. He said yes.
Over the years, a bell tower, statues, shrinettes, the Way of the Cross, the Living Waters, the rosary, Mary’s Entrance and the Chapel of St. Joseph have been added, along with the Little House of Mary.
The Little House of Mary features a stained glass window showing Mary surrounded by the rosary with the Holy Spirit hovering over her. The hand-beveled crystal window was designed by Nick Brogenrief and funded by the South Dakota Catholic Daughters of the Americas.
Special events: The Divine Mercy Chaplet and rosary are prayed before Masses at 8:30 a.m.; a patriotic rosary is prayed Sundays at 4 p.m. A May crowning is held the first Sunday in May, a candlelight Rosary Rally around the Rosary Pond the first Sunday in October, and a celebration of the Feast of the Holy Innocents on Dec. 28.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Like plenty of outdoor shrines, The House of Mary provides kids with a great opportunity to get out of the car, stretch, take a walk and say some prayers with the family. But keep in mind, it’s billed as a quiet place for prayer.
Info: The House of Mary Shrine, PO Box 455, Yankton, SD 57078 n Phone — 605/668-0121 n Website — www.thehouseofmaryshrine.org/
— Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld
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