Shrine of St. Joseph - Grass Lake, Michigan

(Photo courtesy Shrine of St. Joesph)

Destination: For respite and quiet prayer, the Shrine of St. Joseph is a lovely spot, worth a stop on almost any trip across I-94 in Michigan.
Masses are at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 8:30 a.m. Wednesday; 10 a.m. Sunday.
Why to go:  The founder of the Pious Union of St. Joseph for the Suffering and Dying, St. Louis Guanella, priest (1842–1915), was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 22. The Italian priest built a church — now a minor basilica — dedicated to the St. Joseph in Rome before asking Pope Pius  X if he could establish a group dedicated to praying daily to St. Joseph to intercede for the suffering and dying. The pope, according to the shrine website, not only gave his permission, but also was the first to enroll in what he termed, “this great crusade of prayer.”
The Pious Union of St. Joseph for the Salvation of the Dying was declared a “Primary Confraternity” by Pope St. Pius X on Feb. 12, 1914.
Blessed John Paul II also appreciated St. Louis Guanella’s efforts, saying in 2004, “In founding the Pious Union of St. Joseph for the dying, St. Louis Guanella has inspired continuous prayers to help all people on the point of crossing the threshold of eternal life.”
St. Louis Guanella also founded the Servants of Charity priests and brothers and Daughters of St. Mary of Providence sisters, who direct the shrine.
Amenities: Small gifts are available at a gift shop.
Access: The grounds
(Grand) Kid friendly: Walking the grounds to see Our Lady’s Grotto and the Calvary at the shrine will give kids a chance to stretch their legs on a car trip. And, if you have time to volunteer, look for Annie. She’ll have something you can do.
Info: Address: Pious Union of St. Joseph, 953 E. Michigan Ave., Grass Lake, MI 49240. Phone: 517/522-8017. Web: www.piousunionofstjoseph.org

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

Basilica of The National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima - Lewiston, New York

(Photo www.fatmashrine.com)

Destination: If you plan a trip to Niagra Falls, plan a side trip to the Basilica of The National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, in the Diocese of Buffalo. Its beautiful dome serves both to cover a statue of Our Lady of Fatima and to provide an elevated view for the shrine grounds. To get directions, type 1023 Swann Road, Lewiston, N.Y., into your favorite web-based map program.
Masses are at 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m., noon, and 5 p.m. Sunday.
Why to go:  Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, open since 1954, offers natural beauty, art, communal prayer, and renewal to its visitors. The Dome Basilica is covered with two layers of glass and Plexiglas, with a contour of the Northern Hemisphere of the globe.
The approach to the basilica is down the Avenue of the Saints, featuring more than 100 life-size marble and  bronze statues of saints, and around the Rosary  Pool.
Two flights of stairs, with 63 steps, lead to the top of the Dome, and a 13-foot statue of Our Lady of Fatima, carved from Vermont granite.
Among many other features on the shrine grounds are a replica of the original Fatima chapel in Portugal, a bell tower, and Stations of the Cross.
The shrine is operated by the Barnabite Fathers, who arrived from Italy in 1954.
Special events: There is daily rosary at 11:15 a.m. during the Marian months of October and May and there is a 7 p.m. rosary and Mass on the 13th of every month.
A Festival of Lights is held from the Saturday before Thanksgiving through the first Sunday after New Year’s Day, 5-9 p.m.
Amenities: The shrine grounds house both a gift shop and a cafeteria, but hours vary seasonally. The shrine is closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Access: The dome steps may present problems for some visitors, but the grounds are accessible to the handicapped and wheelchairs are available. The shrine is undergoing renovations in preparation for the 2017 centennial anniversary of the Fatima apparitions.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Make sure the kids (and you) bring cameras. Then check out the postcard photo contest at http://fatimashrine.posterous.com.
Info: Address: Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, P.O. Box 167, Youngstown, NY 14174-0167. Phone: 716/754-7489. Web: www.fatimashrine.com

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

St. Clement’s Island, Maryland

(Photo/stmarysmdtourism.blogspot.com)

Destination: Next time you plan a trip near the nation’s capitol, plan a side trip to St. Clement’s Island, Md. While it’s not officially a shrine, the island in the Potomac River is where Catholics from Britain first set foot on a New World spot where they could practice their faith freely.
Masses are not offered on the island, but the nearest church is probably Holy Angels Parish, 21340 Colton Point Road, in Avenue, Md. Drivers on Maryland
Rte. 242, headed toward St. Clement’s Island, will pass through Avenue. Masses at Holy Angels are Saturday at 4:30 p.m., Sunday at 6, 8 and 10:30 a.m., and Monday-Friday at 7:30 a.m.
Why to go:  In 1634, Jesuit Father Andrew White celebrated what is believed to be the first Mass to be said in the original 13 English-speaking colonies. The Mass was on St. Clement’s Island, now a Maryland state park, about 60 miles outside of Washington.
The site of the first Mass, marked by a large cross, can still be visited. Inside the St. Clement’s Island Museum, one can read the firsthand account written by Father White about his voyage and landing on the island with the first colonists of Maryland. He had accompanied Catholics on their voyage from England, where they had been persecuted.
Those Catholics, under the leadership of Leonard Calvert, had traveled in two ships, the Ark and the Dove, to establish a Catholic colony.
George Calvert, the first Lord Baltimore, and father of Leonard Calvert, had secured the charter for a colony in which people would be allowed religious freedom.
Access: The island is accessible only by boat, June through September, on a weekend schedule from the Potomac River Museum. The Maryland Dept. of Natural Resources does not recommend it for people with mobility problems, but people who are traveling with friends may be able to manage a visit.
If you don’t want to make the trek, the St. Clement’s Island Museum is on the mainland at the end of Maryland Rte. 242 onto Bayview Drive. The museum is open March 25 through Sept. 30, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, and from Oct. 1 through March 24, Wednesday through Sunday, noon-4 p.m. There is a fee to visit.
(Grand) Kid friendly: As with any state park, children are always welcome.
Info: Address: St. Clements Island State Park, c/o Point Lookout State Park, 11175 Point Lookout Road, Scotland, MD 20687. Phone: 301/872-5688. Web: www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/southern/stclements.asp.
Address: St. Clements Island - Potomac River Museum, 38370 Point Breeze Road, Colton’s Point, MD 20626. Phone: 301/769-2222. Web: www.co.saint-marys.md.us/recreate/stclementsisland.asp

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

Our Lady of Pompeii Shrine - Chicago, Illinois

(Photo/www.ourladyofpompeii.org)

Destination: On your next day-trip to Chicago, consider stopping at Our Lady of Pompeii Shrine. Not too far west of the Loop, the historically Italian parish is celebrating its centennial this year. It was designated a shrine on Oct. 10, 1994, by the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin.
Masses are offered at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday, and 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Why to go:  Though the parish is 100 years old, the church was built in 1923. It retains its original statues, artwork and marble.
The shrine is consecrated to Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary, but it has special devotions to two other saints — Padre Pio and Mother Cabrini. The Padre Pio Prayer Cenacle is said at 6 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. There are devotions to Mother Cabrini at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays.
It is the midwest center for the causes of canonization of Blessed Grimoaldo Santamaria, and houses a relic of him. The young Passionist seminarian was born in Italy, where he died in 1902. He had a special devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Immaculate Conception. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on Jan. 29, 1995.
Special events: As part of its Summer Spirituality program, the shrine will host  a “Prayer Walk with Mary,” 9-10:30 a.m., Aug. 13. Participants will gather at Arrigo Park, across from the shrine.
On Aug. 28, it will hold its annual Festa di Tutti i Santi, parish festival, featuring a bocce tournament, picnic and other activities in the Italian tradition.
Access: The church is on a corner with parking available in the street. There are steps leading up to the front doors.
Shrine hours outside of Masses are 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Group tours are available if you make arrangements ahead of time.
(Grand) Kid friendly: The church is next door to a school in a residential neighborhood. Children will need to behave as they would in any church.
Info: Address: The Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii, 1224 W. Lexington St., Chicago, IL 60607. Phone: 312/421-3757. Web: www.ourladyofpompeii.org

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

St. Anthony’s Chapel - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

(Photo provided)

Destination: If you’re planning a trip to or near Pittsburgh, work in a stop at St. Anthony’s Chapel in the Troy Hill neighborhood. The chapel, which houses the largest collection of relics open for public viewing, is cared for by members of Most Holy Name of Jesus Parish.
Masses are offered in the chapel Monday-Friday at  8:30 a.m. On Tuesdays, Mass is followed by the St. Anthony Novena.
Why to go:  “A little bit of heaven” is how Carole Brueckner, a guide at Pittsburgh’s St. Anthony’s Chapel, describes this home to more than 5,000 relics, each authenticated by the Catholic Church. The original chapel and an extension were built and the reliquaries purchased with private funds of Father Suitbert Godfrey Mollinger, a Belgian priest. He came to Pittsburgh in 1865, after being in America for several years, and established several mission parishes. He became the first pastor of Most Holy Name of Jesus on July 4, 1868.
When political unrest threatened holy relics in Europe, Father Mollinger began his mission of saving as many as he could and of building a home where they could be viewed and venerated.
The oldest relics are housed in the original chapel, but newer additions to the collection are in the extension, which was dedicated on the Feast of St. Anthony, June 13, 1883.
The extension also houses life-size stations of the cross, carved in wood by Mayer and Company of Munich, Germany. Father Mollinger dedicated the extension on June 13, 1892.
He spent $300,000 of his own money to establish the chapel and its collection of relics.
Access: Parking is available near the chapel, and there is wheelchair access. Once inside, everything is on one level.
Amenities: Chapel and gift shop (across the street) hours are Saturday-Thursday, 1-4 p.m. Tours are offered at 1, 2 and 3 p.m., but groups of 10 or more can arrange for other times by calling ahead.
(Grand) Kid friendly: The chapel is small, but the stations and other statues are vivid enough to hold children’s attention.
Info: Address: St. Anthony’s Chapel, 1704 Harpster St. Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Phone: 412/231-2994. Web: www.saintanthonyschapel.org

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

Our Lady of the New Millennium - St. John, Indiana

(CNS photo/Michael McArdle, Northwest Indiana Catholic)

Destination: A 33-foot-tall, 8,000-pound stainless steel statue of Mary has found a permanent home in St. John, Ind.,  after being carted from parish to parish around the Chicago area for more than a decade. It made at least one stop in the Rockford Diocese, at St. Patrick Church in Rockford. The statue of Our Lady of the New Millennium is yet another reason to visit St. John, Ind., which is also the home of the Shrine of Christ’s Passion. (See December 2009 Seasoned Observer.)
Masses are at 5 p.m., Saturday; 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30 a.m., Sunday in the church; 6:30 p.m., Tuesday.
Why to go:  The statue, Our Lady of the New Millennium, was commissioned by Chicago resident Carl Demma in 1995 and has visited nearly 300 parishes, mostly in the Chicago Archdiocese. It was blessed by Pope John Paul II in 1999 during his visit to St. Louis.
Father Sammie Maletta, pastor of St. John the Evangelist, told the crowd at a May 22 dedication — held inside as heavy storm clouds surrounded the statue — that Carl Demma said when he was 9 years old, he wanted to build a statue of Mary so big “that all of Chicago can see her.”
Demma died in 2000. His wife, Francine, who attended the ceremony, is pleased that the statue has a permanent home. She said the parish location for the statue was ideal for “visibility and evangelizing.”
“I knew it would inspire many people. I knew in my heart this was the appropriate place. They’ll take care of it for the next generation,” she told the Northwest Indiana Catholic, newspaper of the Gary Diocese.
Access: Parking is available near the statue, so most people will find it relatively easy to see it.
(Grand) Kid friendly: The parish is home to a school, although it is at another location, so children are welcome to visit the statue.
Info: Address: St. John the Evangelist Church, 10701 Olcott Ave., St. John, IN 46373. Phone: 219/365-5678. Web: www.stjohnparish.org
Editor's note: Before you head to St. John, Indiana, check the Dec. 5, 2009, Destination for other places to visit in the area.

- Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld; CNS contributed to this story
Send your Catholic destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org

National Shrine of St. Therese - Darien, Illinois

(Photo provided/www.saint-therese.org)

Destination: The shrine dedicated to St. Therese, the Little Flower, in nearby Darien, boasts the largest collection of relics and memorabilia outside of Lisieux, France.
Masses in the chapel are at 11:30 a.m. Monday-Friday.
Why to go:  Therese Martin, who was the youngest of nine children, was born in 1873 and grew up in the Alencon region of France. Sickly as a child, her health remained a problem throughout her short life. She died at age 24.
Her mother, Marie Zelie Guerin,  and her father, Louis Martin, a watchmaker and jeweler, married in 1858. Therese was only 4 when her mother died of cancer. Of the Martins’ nine children, all five who survived entered religious life. Marie and Louis were beatified in 2009.
Therese, herself, was canonized in 1925, when she would have been only 52 years old. In October, 1997, Pope John Paul II declared her a Doctor of the Church, because of the influence her spirituality has had on so many people.
Among the items in the shrine’s collection are several items on display only through October. Among them are a chalice, paten and ciborium that she prepared regularly for Masses at the convent in Lisieux.
Amenities: The Carmelite Spiritual Retreat Center, which is on the grounds, hosts retreats and day programs and offers lodging and meals to Shrine guests. Info:  630/969-4141 or www.carmelitespiritualcenter.org.
Access: The shrine and the retreat center are accessible to the handicapped.
Admission: Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Sunday.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Children will especially appreciate seeing the map of North America that Therese made when she was 12.
Info: Address — National Shrine of St. Therese, 8501 Bailey Road, Darien, IL 60561. Phone — 630/969-3311. Web — www.saint-therese.org

- Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld; CNS contributed to this story
Send your Catholic destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org