I looked up local parks and found that we have a lot of them! Since David is in town and we both have a newfound interest in photography, we decided to get out in nature and take some serious photos! Oh yeah, we got lost on the way back, but I actually found a Speedway near my house. Happy days are here!
David and I set out early afternoon yesterday to visit the National Shrine and Basilica of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, Ohio. It was my third visit and David’s fourth (see Catholic, Shrines on the sidebar for more). It was a cold and rainy day at the beginning, but in Carey it was mainly just cold. But, as two people who love the fall, we were enjoying the crisp air and changing leaves. On the way over, we naturally stopped at Speedway and enjoyed a cup of coffee. It was honestly a great time, especially since David and I don’t see each other often anymore.
When we arrived at Carey, the first thing we did was visit the bookstore. I bought a few things, including a candle and a couple of holy water containers. I also bought an excellent book, The Heart of Catholicism: Essential Writings of the Church from St. Paul to John Paul II
After the bookstore we both went to confession and toured the church area. It was a very healthy crowd at confession, encompassing all ages, which is always nice to see. The bishops speak of a need for a revival of reverence and awe for the Eucharist, but I don’t see how this could ever happen without a revival of reverence and awe for the Sacrament of reconciliation. Ok, that’s my little rant!
We then went to the beautiful park located about a 5 minute walk from the actual basilica. The
park is spacious and includes a huge dome like structure with a statue of Mary at the top. We could see the beginnings of fall in the many trees. I’ll bet the park is bustling with pilgrims during the feast of the Assumption. Since it was getting cold, we decided to make our way back.
We went into the basilica and did a rosary in the lower church. Then we moved upstairs and caught the tail end of some wedding photography. It would be so wonderful to marry in the shadow of Our Lady of Consolation’s gaze. We prayed in front of the miraculous image and began a novena. It felt so great to be back. This was the first shrine I ever visited as a Catholic and as a "first" it has a special place in my heart. We continued around the shrine taking photos and praying.
We were fortunate to visit on a Saturday because of the vigil mass. It was great to worship in a beautiful place that actually looked like a Catholic Church and sing songs played on an organ, all in the gaze of a miraculous image. It made me wish I lived closer to Carey (our drive was nearly 2.5 hours). The mass itself was straightforward, but very spiritually edifying.
After mass, we said a few closing prayers and left Carey for the day. The return trip was nice and we enjoyed pumpkin spice cappuccinos from Speedway! The rain started when we reached I-271, which wasn’t fun, but we had been blessed to be rain-free in Carey (not surprising considering Our Lady’s main miracle there was weather related). We stopped near my local town and got some Pizza Hut pizza since we were very hungry by that point.
Visiting this shrine was such a blessing and quite frankly recharged my spiritual batteries. As many regular readers know, I highly recommend visiting shrines throughout the year. The practice is a blessing for the soul, something to which I can strongly attest. For more information on shrines in your area please visit:
Marian Shrines in the USA
Catholic Shrines USA
First photo on the left is Our Lady of Consolation
Photo on the right is a photo of Jesus in the tomb
Second photo on left is Mary in the garden
All photos taken by Jonathan Bennett
