Bishop visits National Shrine in Laurie for Mary’s feastday
CLICK HERE to see a gallery of photos from this event.
Stirring leaves, flowing water and the peaceful strains of Schubert’s “Ave Maria” accompanied Bishop Ralph B. O’Donnell to the Mothers’ Wall of Life.
There, he blessed with holy water the newly engraved granite panels bearing the names of 85 mothers.
He placed his hand for a moment on the name of Mary Jane O’Donnell, his own mother and the matriarch of his family.
“Brothers and sisters, on this beautiful Memorial Day, we gather to celebrate the Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church, patroness of this beautiful shrine,” the bishop proclaimed from behind the outdoor altar at the National Shrine of Mary, Mother of the Church, in Laurie.
Several hundred people joined him in prayer from shaded terraces surrounding the altar and the impressive sculpture of the Blessed Mother.
Among them was a large contingent from the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, wearing full regalia.
The feastday is celebrated each year on the Monday after the Solemnity of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church.
Pope St. Paul VI, at the conclusion of the Third Session of the Second Vatican Council in 1964, formally declared the Blessed Virgin Mary as “Mother of the Church — that is to say, of all Christian people, the faithful as well as the pastors, who call her the most loving Mother.”
Pope Francis in 2018 instituted Mary, Mother of the Church, as a universal memorial and set the date for it to be celebrated each year.
Bishop O’Donnell made his first visit to the National Shrine on May 25 in order to lead the celebration.
The Scripture readings for the day juxtapose Adam and Eve’s fall from grace in the Garden of Eden, with Jesus’s suffering and death on the cross.
“These readings help us focus on the privilege of Mary’s relationship to us, given by Christ himself,” said Bishop O’Donnell.
He pointed out how in the Book of Genesis, God comes down to the Garden each day to converse with Adam.
On the day Adam and Eve ate fruit from the tree they were forbidden to eat from, they hid from God because they were naked.
With the very same voice that had spoken the heavens, the stars, the world and all of its creatures into existence, God asked Adam, “Who told you that you are naked?”
“That voice is now saying, ‘Who spoke to you something different from what I said to you?’” Bishop O’Donnell noted.
In the Gospel reading, Christ, the new Adam, speaks from his cross, the tree that would yield the fruit of salvation.
“He speaks to Mary, his Mother, from the cross — entrusting her to the care of the Beloved Apostle, John, and in turn giving Mary to John — and with him to the Church — as his Mother and ours,” said Bishop O’Donnell.
The bishop called on everyone present to “pray for the grace to truly hear God’s word spoken to us, allowing his word to penetrate our hearts, and then like our Mother, to respond appropriately, so that her ‘fiat’ — her ‘Yes’ to God — will also be ours.
“May we say ‘yes’ again to the will of God in our lives,” the bishop appealed, “so that we might be instruments of peace and reconciliation for all who seek him.”
Abundant grace
Joining Bishop O’Donnell at the altar were:
- Father John Schmitz, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Laurie and the Mission of St. Philip Benizi in Versailles, and rector of the National Shrine of Mary, Mother of the Church;
- Monsignor David D. Cox, pastor of St. Stanislaus Parish in Wardsville and St. Margaret of Antioch Parish in Osage Bend;
- Monsignor Gregory L. Higley, pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Parish in Lake Ozark; and
- Father Joseph Corel, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish of Pettis County.
It was Fr. Schmitz’s 35th priestly anniversary.
Deacon David Lovell proclaimed the Gospel and assisted at the altar.
Seminarians of the Jefferson City diocese and two recently initiated Catholics served as altar servers.
Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus in full regalia served as the honor guard.
The St. Patrick Parish Adult Choir led the singing.
Fr. Schmitz led the assembly in praying the “Memorare” for the more than 5,500 mothers from around the world whose names are engraved on the Mothers’ Wall of Life.
“Almighty God has brought you the joy of motherhood,” he said to all mothers present. “May he now bless you. May you know the depths of our gratitude to you and the support of our ongoing prayers.”
The choir led the singing of “Immaculate Mary” during the recessional and segued seamlessly into “God Bless America.”
“Most loving mother”
This was the first Mass of this year at the Shrine’s outdoor altar.
Outdoor Masses are offered at 8 p.m. on Saturdays and at 8:30 a.m. on Sundays through Labor Day.
Prior to the Mass, David King, son of a Laurie parishioner, waded into the water of the reflecting pool overlooking the outdoor altar, carrying a pole with a crown of flowers.
“Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!” the choir sang gently as he set the crown onto the head of the sculpture of Mary, Mother of the Church.
An estimated 50,000 people each year visit the National Shrine of Mary, Mother of the Church, and enjoy the scenic, well-manicured grounds that include the avenue of flags, a prayer path, fountains and a larger-than-life image of the Blessed Mother.
The Shrine was dedicated in 1992, having been conceived in the mid-1980s in what was once an unsightly ravine at the rear of the St. Patrick Parish property.
Longtime pastor Father Fred Barnett, now deceased, had the idea of developing the 6,000-seat outdoor Shrine in the form of a grotto to make room for more weekend communicants each summer.
The centerpiece is a 14-foot, 2,840-pound stainless steel sculpture of the Blessed Mother on a revolving pedestal above a reflection pool.
Sculptor Don Wiegand, who created the sculpture, described his subject as “an ageless lady, depicting love, balance and grace.”
Bishop John R. Gaydos, now deceased, dedicated the Mothers’ Wall of Life at the Shrine on Mother’s Day in 1999.
Fr. Barnett emphasized repeatedly that the Shrine’s purpose is to honor the Blessed Mother and to help promote a deeper overall appreciation of motherhood, the preciousness of human life and the integrity of the family.
Calling it a “wonderful tribute to motherhood,” he said the Shrine honors all mothers, living and deceased, and of every race, creed and skin color.
For all humanity
St. Patrick Parish was founded in 1868 in what was then the heart of the Osage River Valley.
Since the completion of the Bagnell Dam in the 1930s, the area now lies on the west side of the Lake of the Ozarks, a popular tourist destination.
In May 2003, the U.S. Catholic bishops granted the Shrine of Mary, Mother of the Church the rare designation of a national shrine.
In doing so, the bishops acknowledged that the Shrine was already a pilgrim destination for people from all over the United States, and encouraged even more people to seek spiritual refreshment at this holy place.
“This,” Fr. Barnett stated in 2003, “will enable us to reach more people with the message of Mary’s universal motherhood — not just of the Catholic Church her Son started, but of the whole world.”
