ShrineblogYesterday, I had the great pleasure of going to the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation. I want to share a little bit about my pilgrimage and encourage others to make a pilgrimage to this or similar shrines throughout the country and world.

We left the house about 1:00pm and drove to Carey, Ohio. Carey is a small town of about 3,500 people, showing that size and prestige don’t matter to God. The shrine contains a replica of the statue of Our Lady of Consolation in Luxembourg. In 1875, when the locals were moving this statue in procession the 7 miles from Frenchtown to Carey, there was a severe storm and yet, although surrounded by rain, neither those in the procession nor the statue itself got wet. Ever since there have been miracles associated with the shrine. The miraculous occurrences were described in a 1911 report to the Ohio Bishop as "overwhelming." They have continued to this day (more on that later).

When we first arrived to the shrine, we went to the gift shop where we bought a pilgrim’s prayer book and some containers for holy water. Then we went off to the actual shrine itself. The church building is beautiful and the statue of Our Lady of Consolation is mesmerizing.

The church is divided into a lower and upper shrine with numerous altars. The first placeOurlady1blog_3 I started was at the side altar where the statue of our Lady of Consolation is displayed. I asked her to pray for my pilgrimage intentions and did some other devotions as well as lighting a votive candle. It was very easy to become fixed in that spot, knowing the power of God that has been displayed in this place. It was also an amazing thought to contemplate all of the other fellow Catholics (and others I’m sure) who had come to this small town in Ohio to go on a pilgrimage. We were told that at the time of the Solemnity of the Assumption, the shrine attracts around 6,000 people.

More to come…

Photo one is of the outside of the church. Photo two is a view of the Our Lady of Consolation altar. Photos taken by me or my brother David.