Wayside shrine to celebrate 75th

Because the Wayside Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in New Lebanon, sits next to Immaculate Conception Church on Route 20, the sound of cars occasionally breaks the silence as they speed by on their way east towards Pittsfield, Mass., or west toward Albany.

But, as has happened for decades, some of those cars stop. Visitors to the Columbia County grotto arrive on a daily basis, year in and year out, in all seasons.

On August 15, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard will rededicate the site on its 75th anniversary.

France in New York

Visitors to the shrine sit on benches or use a kneeler that face the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, which is protected by rings of stone hand-carried by farmers who lived in the valley.

Horse-drawn wagons brought in some of the rocks, and it is rumored that a few came from the original shrine in Lourdes, France, that marks where the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in the middle of the 19th century.

Bernadette is portrayed at the New Lebanon Shrine, looking up adoringly. Her outstretched arm has become the final resting place of dozens of rosaries left by unknown callers.

Grotto

The shrine has been a haven for travelers since Rev. John B. LeFebvre, pastor of Immaculate Conception parish, built it in 1929.

He came from France and, according to parish archives, "the location was so similar [to the shrine in Lourdes that he] decided to build a small grotto directly adjoining the church. The New Lebanon countryside had a marked resemblance to the valley of Lourdes in France. This vision of his brought hundreds of thousands of Catholic worshippers from all corners of the U.S."

The shrine remains a popular place for prayer and meditation, the lighting of a votive candle, or just for sitting to enjoy the solitude.

Popular place

In the 1980s, much of the traffic that traveled Route 20 was diverted by the "Berkshire Spur," a leg of I-90. Although traffic has lightened, visits to the shrine are still heavy, said Immaculate Conception's current pastor, Rev. John Close.

"We have people stopping by here, 24-7, especially in the summer," he told The Evangelist. "Actually, it's pretty amazing how many people are still so deeply interested in visiting the shrine. It isn't unusual for people to stop by in any season either."

He described a winter day when two feet of snow were on the roads; even before the parish and shrine grounds were plowed, a visitor had come to the shrine.

"I can't see the shrine from the office," Father Close said. "But when I went out there, there was an unbroken path of footprints leading from the parking area right up to the shrine. In this day and age, when we must keep our facilities locked with threats of terrorism, we still have a place where people can come to quietly pray and find comfort day or night. It is a unique, sacred space, where people have been coming for years."

(The rededication ceremony will take place on August 15, 2 p.m. Refreshments will be served afterwards. A closing prayer is scheduled for 4 p.m.)

(8/12/04)