Visit a shrine this summer, you won’t be disappointed

A rosary hangs from a statue of Jesus at the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville, N.Y., in this 2010 file photo. (CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec) (Courtesy photo of Nancy Wiechec)

Where are you going on vacation? This is a question everyone seems to be asking me these days. I usually answer that I’m hoping to spend a few weeks on Cape Cod sometime before the summer is over.  I’ve been going there each summer for a long while now and it’s one of the few places within driving distance that renews my drooping spirit.

When I was a kid, there were many other places, within driving distance, that also brought a sense of peace and renewal when visiting them — in particular the Shrine of the North American Martyrs in nearby Auriesville. I have wonderful memories of my family’s occasional Sunday visits to that sacred place.  It was, and is, a magical place with lots of land to explore and to wander about. It’s a thoroughly Catholic place, with small chapels for prayer and monuments honoring great Christian men and women who lived and died centuries ago.

At Auriesville, we learned about St. Isaac Jogues and the French Jesuit missionaries who were martyred on that land in the 17th century. We learned about the Native Americans who lived there before Europeans came to the new world. We learned about the enormous struggle these indigenous people had with foreign missionaries preaching a Gospel foreign to them. We learned about courageous priests and laymen, their self-sacrifice and their heroic commitment to spreading the Good News in all parts of the world. We also learned about the history of our area, nestled along the Mohawk and Hudson, long before the founding of the nation and the establishment of the colonies.

My old aunt used to pack a full course dinner for all of us to enjoy there (and there were a great many of us then) which we ate in the fresh air, in spite of the fact that there were no such things as coolers or plastic ware back then. Somehow the food tasted a lot better outside and when the adults were in deep conversation, we kids scampered off to play ball in the open fields and enjoy the great expanse overlooking the Mohawk River. Unwittingly, we also soaked in the pervasive Catholic atmosphere of the place without even noticing it. The many small chapels and the great Colosseum made us curious about the long and dramatic history of bringing Catholicism from Europe to the beautiful Hudson Valley we now share.

These visits took place in simpler times but they remain powerful memories, all from visiting the premier Catholic shrine in our area. These visits bonded our family together, enabled us to share life with one another, and they sparked and nourished our love in the context of the faith we all shared. We were blessed and enriched.

This summer, while planning vacation time, consider visiting a Catholic shrine, especially if you have small children. Besides Auriesville, there are other shrines in our area or not far from it. For example, the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in nearby Stockbridge, Mass., 50 minutes away. Google directions and their schedule of services and events. And, if you want to drive a little farther, St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal is a wonderful place to spend a day. Sitting atop of Mt. Royal in downtown Montreal, this enormous church with spectacular grounds is an oasis for the world-weary, the curious and the tired faithful. Like all shrines, its backstory of faith will renew and re-inspire. 

So where are you going on vacation? My suggestion: try visiting a local shrine. The visit will enrich you. I promise.

Father Morrette is pastor at The Catho­lic Community of Our Lady of Victory in Troy, Our Lady of the Snow Mission in Grafton and Christ Sun of Justice Parish in Troy.