Auriesville shrine perfect site for Sesquicentennial

As Catholics celebrate the Sesquicentennial of the founding of their Diocese, says Rev. John Marzolf, SJ, they would do well to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville.

Although the arrival of the martyrs -- Ss. Isaac Jogues, Rene Goupil and John Lalande -- in the Albany Diocese predates its 1847 founding, the shrine director said, "If people of the Diocese are honoring their origins, to go deeper into the roots of the presence of faith in the area, visiting the shrine would be a good thing to do."

That opportunity will be available as of May 3, opening day for the shrine, which is more commonly known as the Shrine of the North American Martyrs or simply "Auriesville."

Holy sites

The shrine marks the birthplace of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, a Native American candidate for sainthood, as well as the site of the martyrdom of Father Isaac Jogues and his companions. (The National Shrine of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha is located in Fonda; the Auriesville shrine includes a museum in her honor.)

The new season for the shrine brings with it a new director in the person of Father Marzolf (see sidebar). Since his arrival last summer, he has taken on the duties of directing the shrine and its accompanying retreat house, and serving as superior for the community of 14 Jesuits in residence there.

That in itself is a historical move for the Jesuits: "This is the first time in recent years that one man has been the director of everything," he told The Evangelist. "The staff we can draw from is continuing to diminish. We're finding ways of consolidating."

Changes

The director will examine ways to reorganize the services and retreats offered at the shrine, asking, "What kind of spirituality do contemporary people of God look for?"

For example, in the future, said Father Marzolf, fewer retreats for clergy and religious will be held at Auriesville, since their numbers are decreasing as well.

Other plans in the works involve updating the shrine's museum displays to reflect a more contemporary mentality. In addition to the actual relics of the Jesuit saints, there are artworks, Native American and Dutch artifacts, and other displays that tell the story of the martyrs. The Knights of Columbus are working on raising funds for the renovations, which should begin in 1998.

The Martyr's Shrine also offers Masses, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, recitations of the Rosary and Stations of the Cross, blessings with the relics of the saints and guided tours, and retreats.

Program variety

Scores of programs are on the agenda for the 1997 season, including

* liturgies on the martyrs' feast days and other days;

* charismatic healing and prayer services;

* special days of pilgrimage for Hispanics, Native Americans, Italians, Poles, Irish, Lithuanians and others; and

* a "Youth for Christ" day.

"It's a big day for us," Father Marzolf said of the latter. "A group of people with Indian heritage come and put on a skit [about the life of Tekakwitha], and we have a big liturgical celebration."

Sesquicentennial Mass

Of course, the largest event of all will be the Sept. 14 Mass celebrating the diocesan Sesquicentennial, to be held in the shrine's Coliseum, which seats 6,500 people. Last year, 50,000 people visited the Martyrs' Shrine from across the U.S. and around the world; the Sesquicentennial Mass is expected to swell that number considerably.

In light of 1997 being a special anniversary year for the Albany Diocese, Father Marzolf hopes that visitors remember the shrine during the rest of the year, as well. Long before the founding of the Diocese, he explained, "The faith coming into this area was brought to the indigenous peoples. Kateri Tekakwitha is maybe the most famous of the Christians in this area."

The director reminded Catholics of the Diocese that "for those who want to spend more than an afternoon in prayer, they can come away for a weekend and stay at the retreat house."

In his work so far, Father Marzolf stated that he has been impressed by shrine visitors' "gentle faith and sincere and total dedication to the place as holy ground."

(Father Marzolf hopes to maintain the shrine's heritage as well as keeping it "vibrant and dynamic" for the future. A new web site set up by a devotee of the shrine is just the first of many adaptations. To contact the Shrine of the North American Martyrs, call 853-3033. Visit their web site at http://www.klink.net/~jesuit).

New director likes his work -- and snow!

Local residents may be welcoming the arrival of spring, but Rev. John Marzolf, SJ, still reminisces about rejoicing in a New York blizzard.

During his 31 years as a Jesuit priest, the new director of the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville has served in Syracuse, Buffalo and New York City, but one of his longest assignments was as superior of a Jesuit community in Nigeria.

Although the self-titled "snow person" volunteered for the position, "I lived five degrees north of the equator!" he remembered.

'Beautiful snow'

After nine and a half years, his term as director of the seminary was up, and he asked to return to the U.S. to be with his aging parents and try a new assignment. Father Marzolf arrived at JFK airport in New York just before Christmas of 1989, during a blizzard.

"It was the first time I'd seen snow since 1979, and I stood there, saying, `Look at this beautiful snow!'" he said with a smile.

Many of the shrine director's other assignments had been teaching positions: He taught physics, engineering, computer engineering and computer science for colleges including LeMoyne, Syracuse University and Boston College.

After returning from Africa, Father Marzolf briefly returned to teaching, then ran a retreat center in Syracuse before serving as development director for his order in New York City. He came to Auriesville last August to replace Rev. John Paret, SJ, who had served as shrine director for six years.

'At home'

"I have certainly been in many different ministries, but I feel at home in upstate New York," he said. "I really enjoy getting out on the river and up in the mountains. This might be a nice place to settle down."

Since all Jesuits of the province are buried in the cemetery at the Auriesville shrine, the priest joked that even if he is reassigned, "This will be my final resting place. I'll end up in the ground out there!"

Father Marzolf's new position -- which includes directing the Martyrs' Shrine and retreat center and acting as superior for the Jesuits who live there -- holds many challenges, from maintaining the shrine's many buildings to reorganizing its ministries for the future.

"There's a lot of planning to be done," he remarked. "Our hope here is to look at whether we can improve the services we offer." (KB)

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