Julia’s Weekly Shrine Round-up: 10/17

By Julia Rose

Hello again! The weather is cooler these early days of autumn and the leaves are at their peak, bringing a glorious splash of color to Eden Hill! I hope you will take advantage of the season and visit us! Everything you need to know is posted on ShrineofDivineMercy.org, including a calendar of events. 

And in case I don't meet you here, please e-mail me with your pilgrim stories and photos!

Tim, the Answer Man!
Of enormous help to me as I get to know the National Shrine better is Tim Ryan, the Pilgrim Coordinator. He's a constant friendly presence on Eden Hill, greeting busloads of pilgrims, giving directions, answering questions, and interacting with volunteers — all to ensure the smoothest and most rewarding pilgrim experience.

“I feel blessed to work here," Tim says. "You’ll see a couple groups arriving that are the ‘Divine Mercy’ parish or the ‘Divine Mercy’ group. The message of Divine Mercy is thankfully spreading."

While many pilgrims discover the National Shrine through our livestreams and videos, Tim found it the old-fashioned way:through books bought at the Divine Mercy Gift Shop. “Within probably a 150-mile radius, we have the best Catholic book shop around," he notes.

Tim, who has family in the Berkshires, lived in New York City working in professional theater before joining the National Shrine staff last year. His office is next to the Welcome Center, where pilgrims can learn of the many devotional spots on Eden Hill. His favorite spots? The Our Lady of Mercy Candle Shrine and Oratory in the Marian Helpers Center, and the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto. Of the latter he says, “There's a quiet specialness. You feel like you’re the only one on the planet.”

Despite being extremely busy on certain days and weekends of the year, Tim always tries to greet every pilgrim group. On Nov. 1, All Saints’ Day, he’s expecting 10 buses filled with pilgrims! 

Connecticut and Colombia
Maria, traveling from Windham, Connecticut with her pastor, Fr. Michael, of Corpus Christi Parish, said she enjoyed every spot on Eden Hill, including the Holy Family Shrine and (above) the Shrine of the Holy Innocents. This was her first visit to Eden Hill.

Father Michael is a veteran pilgrim. "Every time my parents visit from Colombia, they make sure to take a pilgrimage here as they just love it here," he says. "It’s incredible."

Maria’s talent for cooking Mexican, Puerto Rican, and American food, as well as making flower arrangements, have been a wonderful way for her to serve her parish and wider community. Soon, in celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12, she will be cooking for 600 people at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Norwich, Connecticut. Wow!

Honoring a Saint and a Saint-to-be
Last week was a whirlwind of pilgrims, buses, and special events honoring one of the Marian Fathers' patron saints, St. Faustina, on her feast day! As we enter the second half of October, we will honor two more patrons of the Marians: Venerable Servant of God, Casimir Wyszynski, MIC, and Pope St. John Paul II. Novenas to both are now under way (join in here), marking the anniversary of the death of Ven. Casimir on Oct. 21, and St. John Paul's feast day on Oct. 22.

You may know Ven. Casimir (1700-1755) from the "Graces Received" page in Marian Helper, with reports of answered prayers through his intercession, especially for those looking for a job. His statue (above left) is one of the newest on Eden Hill.  

"He was a very zealous religious who deeply loved his Order and its Founder," says Br. Andrew Maczynski, MIC, vice postulator in North America and Asia for Marian causes of canonization. "He was a great devotee of the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, intercessor for the souls in Purgatory, and promoter of the virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Blue Scapular. He was also a protector of the underprivileged, and sent a petition to the pope asking for the special protection of those people by the Church."

Listen to the Most Rev. Joe Roesch’s podcast, “Venerable Casimir and Our Lady,” for free on DivineMercyPlus.org.

The statue of the Great Mercy Pope, St. John Paul II (above right), is situated just outside the National Shrine. “Saint John Paul II stands out as a great model and witness to hope, and a sure guide to us during this Jubilee Year of Hope,” says Fr. Tyler Mentzer, MIC. “He saw the darkness and shadows of the sin of humanity in his own day, yet he confidently and fearlessly proclaimed Christ and gave an inspiring witness to the surpassing power of the Love and Mercy of God.”

Inside the National Shrine, there are two relics of the Holy Father. To the right of the sanctuary (above left), a first-class relic is placed in a kneeler for veneration, before a beautiful statue of the saint. In the St. Faustina side chapel (above right), there is a second-class relic, a zucchetto (skullcap) worn by the saint and gifted by the Pope himself on June 2, 2000, “as a sign of his continuing presence with the Marian Community on Eden Hill.”

Father Kenneth M. Dos Santos, MIC, reminded me of the profound connection between the Marian Fathers and the Great Mercy Pope. “We’re a Congregation founded in his native land and Marian to its core,” he said. “Immaculate Conception was always near and dear to his heart, Totus Tuus (Totally Yours). And during the Marian General Chapter of July 22, 1993, the Holy Father gave his confident entrustment to the Marian Fathers to promote the message and devotion of Divine Mercy, when he wrote, ‘Be apostles of the Divine Mercy under the motherly and affectionate guidance of Mary.’”

Be sure to visit ShopMercy.org to see the many prayer cards we offer, including St. John Paul II and Ven. Servant of God Casimir. And pick up a copy of Fr. Ken's new book: Hagia Sophia: The Wisdom of God as Offered to the Modern World, Volume II.

More news and pilgrim views next Friday! Have a great weekend and stay warm out there!
 {shopmercy-ad}