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

Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs - Auriesville, New York

(CNS photos/Nancy Wiechec)

Destination: The Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville, N.Y., is one of the most visited Catholic pilgrimage places in the U.S. It marked its 125th anniversary as a shrine in 2010. Formerly known as the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs, it has more recently been known by its original name.
Masses are at 9 and 11 a.m., and 4 p.m. on Sundays;  11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturdays in the Shrine Coliseum; 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays in the Kateri Chapel.
In the photo a rosary hangs from a statue of Jesus at the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs.
Why to go:  In the 17th century, the spot now dedicated to the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs was a 17th century Mohawk village called Ossernenon. It was there that  three Jesuit missionaries — Father Isaac Jogues, René Goupil, a Jesuit brother, and John Lalande, a lay missioner — were martyred during the 1640s. They are the only canonized American martyrs. With five Jesuit priests killed in Canada,  they are known as the North American Martyrs.
The site is also believed to be near the birthplace of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.
The shrine is under the direction of the New York Province of the Society of Jesus, who have a hallowed tradition of ministry at the site, since Father Loyzance, S.J. came over from Troy, N.Y., to buy 10 acres of land in August 1884.
More than 400 acres of flowered landscapes and tree-studded slopes and lawns house five chapels, two museums, a candle shrine, Jesuit cemetery, outdoor Stations of the Cross and more.
Amenities: Museums and a library are open weekdays, noon- 4p.m., and weekends, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. There is also a gift shop on the grounds.
Access: Some parts of the shrine are accessible by car, others only by walking. The shrine has been closed for the winter, but is scheduled to reopen this spring.
Admission: The shrine depends on donations for its maintenance; offerings are welcome.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Special events at the shrine include confirmation retreats, so kids are normal visitors to the shrine.
Info: Address — Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs, 136 Shrine Road, Fultonville, NY 12016.  Phone — 518/853-3033. Web — www.martyrshrine.org

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

Shroud of Turin Traveling Exhibit - Rockford, Illinois

(CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec)

Destination: A traveling exhibit of a replica of the Shroud of Turin arrived in Rockford this week for a month-long stay at two parishes. The actual shroud (above), revered for centuries as the burial shroud of Christ, was exhibited in 2010 at John the Baptist Cathedral in Turin.
When to go: The exhibit will be displayed through March 15 at St. Edward Parish, 3004 11th Street. Hours will be 9 a.m.-noon Monday through Friday and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. It will also be on display during the Knights of Columbus fish fry, 5:30-7:30 p.m., March 11.
It will then move to St. Bridget Parish, 600 Clifford Ave., where it will be on display March 16-30. Hours have yet to be determined.
Why to go:  Besides the replica of the Shroud of Turin, the exhibit includes a number of panels showing the history of the shroud, and a sculpture of Christ that shows all of the wounds he suffered, based on the evidence of the shroud. The body, also called a corpus, is mounted on a cross.  As Lent begins, the exhibit calls to mind the sufferings Christ endured for us.
Access: Both parish centers are accessible to the handicapped.
Admission: Free; donation accepted.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Some of the images are particularly graphic; young children might be frightened.

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

Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America - Dubuque, Iowa

(Photos provided/ www.womenandspirit.org)

Destination: The traveling history exhibit that chronicles the role of sisters in shaping America’s health care, education and social justice institutions will be open at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa, from Feb. 18 through May 22.
Why to go:  Anyone who remembers sisters in their lives — in a school, hospital or other setting — may enjoy this look at their role in shaping American history.
The exhibit is sponsored by Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in Association with Cincinnati Museum Center, where it opened in 2009. It is touring museums across the nation, coming to Dubuque from Ellis Island. The next exhibit close to the Diocese of Rockford will be Sept. 2 to Dec. 31 at the Center for History in South Bend, Ind.
According to the exhibit Web site, features of the exhibit include artifacts from hundreds of sister communities including a letter from Thomas Jefferson assuring religious freedom following the Louisiana Purchase
Access: The museum is accessible to the handicapped.
Admission: You’ll need tickets to the museum to see the exhibit, but you’ll also be able to visit other exhibits. Cost for non-members is $13 for seniors 65 and older; $15 for other adults; $10 for children 3-17. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.
(Grand) Kid friendly: The museum and the exhibit are both child-friendly. You can even plan an educational outing using materials for students in first- through 12th-grade, on the exhibit Web site (below).
Info: About the museum: Address — National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, 350 E. Third St., Dubuque IA 52001.  Phone — 563/557-9545. Web — www.rivermuseum.com. About the exhibit: www.womenandspirit.org

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

Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help - Champion, Wisconsin

(Photo by Sam Lucero, The Compass, Official Newspaper
of the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay)

Destination: On Dec. 8, Bishop David Ricken of the Diocese of Green Bay (Wis.) approved the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help the as first and only site in the United States where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared.
Masses are 8 a.m. Monday, 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, 7 p.m. Wednesday and 8 a.m. Saturday. There is an 8 a.m. First Friday Mass. There are no Masses on Sunday and Thursday. There is a 2 p.m. Holy Hour on Sunday.

In photo worshippers pray in the crypt, in the spot where the Blessed Mother appeared to Adele Brise in 1859. The crypt is located just below the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help chapel.
Why to go: In October 1859, Adele Brise, a Belgian immigrant, saw Mary, “The Queen of Heaven,” three times at the northern Wisconsin site. It was just a year after the Marian apparitions at Lourdes. Now known as Champion, the town was called Robinsonville in 1859. (For directions, look for the shrine about 15 miles north of Green Bay and 1 mile east of Champion on Kewaunee County Highway K near New Franken, Wisconsin.)
In her third visit, Mary asked Adele to work to bring the area’s Native Americans to Jesus by teaching them prayers and about the sacraments. She took the request very seriously and, called Sister Adele, devoted her life to teaching others about God.
Adele’s father built a crude chapel between the two trees where Mary appeared. Today, there is a small church on the spot.
Special events: Since 1861, there has been an outdoor Mass on Aug. 15, the Feast of the Assumption. It includes a rosary procession around the outer parameter of the shrine grounds, something the  first devotees did during the Peshtigo Fire. Remarkably, the site was spared when the fire took 2,500 lives in northern Wisconsin on the same day as the Great Chicago Fire, Oct. 8, 1871.
Access: The crypt over the original apparition site is on the lower level of the chapel.
(Grand) Kid friendly: Sister Adele founded a free school for children; she would welcome young visitors today.
Info: Address — Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, 4047 Chapel Dr., New Franken, WI 54229
Phone — 920/866- 2571 Web — www.shrineofourladyofgoodhelp.com

- Compiled by Sharon Boehlefeld
Send your Catholic destinations ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org
Editor's note: updated May 22, 2015