A little bit of heaven is nestled within the Ozark hills of Missouri on 60 acres along Missouri Route 5 between Versailles and Camdenton, Missouri. It is about 20 miles north of Camdenton and 17 miles west of U.S. Business Route 54 at Lake of the Ozarks. The Shrine honors mothers of all denominations, not just Catholic, and is known colloquially as the “Mothers' Shrine.”
The Mission of the Shrine is to provide faith filled and joyful Eucharistic celebrations, to provide family-oriented programs, pilgrimages and retreats for the spiritual enrichment of home life, and to provide greater recognition of mothers through the Mothers’ Wall.
The Shrine received the 16th designation as a National Shrine in the United States. Our magnificent Shrine dedicated to Mary, Mother of the Church features an awe-inspiring fourteen-foot stainless steel sculpture of Mary as the Mother of the Church, with her arms outstretched to welcome all to her embrace and is positioned among our beautiful fountains. The platform that holds the sculpture of Mary turns 360 degrees every four minutes to face all pilgrims as they enjoy our grounds.
The terraced amphitheater surrounding the sculpture seats 2,000 and includes a permanent altar, ambo (pulpit) and beautiful fountains. Behind the altar is a three-tiered lighted super structure of steel towers, which creates a spectacular effect. Each spring, thousands of flowers are interspersed throughout the grounds.
The Shrine hosts various programs such as outdoor Masses for visitors to the Lake of the Ozarks from Memorial Day to Labor Day, programs which include pilgrimages, retreats and Marian Conferences. In 2018, over 10,000 people attended our summer Masses and over 1,000 people attended our 16 programs.
The Mothers' Wall features the names of mothers throughout the world engraved in the beautiful polished black granite that surrounds the fountains. Mothers, and mother figures, living or deceased, regardless of religious affiliation are included on the wall. Over 4800 names have been engraved on our Wall including: the mothers of Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict and Pope Francis, that of a female minister whose congregation provided the funding, and movie star Jane Wyman.
Video of the Shrine:
