This weekend I visited Black Madonna Shrine in Eureka, Missouri. I have visited the shrine before, but it had been many years since my last visit. I had forgotten how peaceful a space it is, how it is a great place to rejuvenate your spirit.
Black Madonna Shrine has much history. In 1927 a group of Franciscan Brothers emigrated from Poland. Brother Bronislaus was one of them. In his native Poland, Mary is revered as the Queen of Peace and Mercy.
In 1937 Brother Bronislaus cleared thickly wooded land, built a cedar wood chapel and placed a painting of Our Lady above the altar. The chapel became a center of religious devotion with numerous pilgrimages and prayer services.
There are several places on the walking tour. The grottos are constructed of native Missouri Tiff Rock, which came fro Old Mines, MO, a mining community close to Potosi, about 30 miles southwest of the shrine. All of the grottos are constructed of Tiff Rock and were constructed by Brother Bronislaus. ince there were no tools at the time they were constructed, it was all done without the aid of the tools we have available today.
There is a bridge where one can view Crucifixion Gethsemane Grotto easily, St Francis Grotto with a plaque of his Peace Prayer, St Joseph Grotto with flowers that were once the light fixtures for the old monastery, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Grotto, the Mount of Olives Gethsemane Grotto, Our Lady of Sorrows Grotto which was the first grotto built, Assumption Hill Grotto representing the largest grotto and former entrance to the Way of the Cross, and Nativity Grotto, the only natural grotto on the property. There are also Stations of the Cross.
Masses are held daily at 7 am. Donations may be made for lighting small vigil candles. There is also a gift shop by the outdoor area where masses are held.
Rhonda is a spiritual explorer who loves to travel. You may contact Rhonda by emailing her at Rhonda@ModernDaySpiritualJourney.com.
