Plan Your Visit Discover the Serenity found at the Mothers' Shrine

Entrance Sign

Our Lady of Guadalupe

The statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, sculpted by Fr. Andrew John, from Spring Hill, Florida was bought by Ethel Bruning of Jefferson City, Missouri and donated to be placed at the entrance to the Church and Shrine on July 21, 2004.

Mothers' Wall of Life Kiosks

Kiosks are handicap accessible so you can look up your loved one’s names on the Mothers’ Wall of Life.

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments are set in stone with the eight Beatitudes on the other side.

St. Patrick Catholic Church

St. Patrick Catholic Church, established in 1980, is the third St. Patrick Church in this area. It houses approximately 200 holy relics. The first church, built in 1868, is located on “O” Road in Laurie.

"These words, and nothing more, the Lord spoke with a loud voice to your entire assembly on the mountain from the midst of the fire and the dense cloud. He wrote them upon two tablets of stone and gave them to me."
- Deutermony 5:22

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

- Matthew 5:3-10

Monument to the Unborn

A monument to the unborn stands in mute testimony.

St. Patrick Statue

The statue of St. Patrick, carved of Irish limestone, welcomes all at the Chapel entrance. Shipped from Ireland in January 1980, it was lost in transit and arrived at St. Patrick Church at high noon on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17.

The Stations of the Cross

The Stations of the Cross that line the inside drive are from the second St. Patrick Church in Gravois Mills.

Parishioner Clarence Simler built the boxes housing the Stations when the Prayer Path was built in the 1980’s.

The Knights of Columbus donated kneelers in the summer of 1999.  Each kneeler was donated by a member in memory of a loved one.

Gift Shop

The Gift Shop carries a lovely variety of items for people of all faiths. It is open during the summer and after weekend Masses and upon request.

St. Joseph Statue

The bronze statue of St. Joseph, looking down the hill toward Mary, was a gift from the Brown family in 2000.

Avenue of Flags

The Avenue of the Flags features flags from 100 nations, gifts from people who visited the Shrine and donated a flag from their country or gave a flag in honor of their heritage. Today anyone can adopt a flag and dedicate it to a loved one.

The Pavilion

The Pavilion was a gift from the Mothers' Shrine board in 2002 and is available for meetings, picnics or gatherings.

The Altar

The heart of the Shrine is the altar with black steel superstructure defining the area. Outdoor Masses are celebrated in the Mothers’ Shrine from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekends.

Seating

The outdoor Mass setting seats 2,000. Since the seating is concrete and we are at the lake, most people sit on beach towels during Mass.

The Sculpture

The internationally renowned sculptor, Don Wiegand was approached by Father Barnett and John and Elaine Fabick to commission a fourteen-foot sculpture of Mary, Mother of the Church for the Shrine in early 1986. It was important to the artist that the sculpture depicted the real alive woman we know Mary to be. Elaine Fabick strongly wanted Mary depicted as the young woman she was when she gave birth to God. Don Wiegand notes, “I wanted to make this interpretation of her timeless. In my mind she would represent the whole life span of motherhood. I wanted to make her a real, live woman.” Thus Mary, as we see her here, is an ageless young woman, warm and loving, welcoming everyone to her son. She walked this earth, she held her Son in her arms, she is a mother, she is your mother.

The Mothers' Wall of Life

The Mothers’ Wall features the names of mothers throughout the world engraved in the beautiful polished black granite that surrounds the fountains. Mother, and mother figures, living or deceased, regardless of religious affiliation are included on the wall. Over 5,000 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.

Behold Thy Mother Monument

Written by Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty while in prison, our Behold They Mother Monument, donated by the Knights of Columbus, contains this beautiful inscription.

"The Most Important Person on Earth is a Mother. She cannot claim the honor of having built Notre Dame Cathedral. She need not. She has built something more magnificent than any cathedral—a dwelling for an immortal soul, the tiny perfection of her baby’s body. “The angels have not been blessed with such a grace. They cannot share in God’s creative miracle to bring new saints to Heaven. Only a human mother can. Mothers are closer to God the Creator than any other creature; God joins forces with mothers in performing this act of creation”. What on God’s good earth is more glorious than this: to be a mother?"