The National Shrine of ©ur ILadg of donsolation The National Shrine r ©ur Caflg of donsolation Carey, Ohio Devotion to Our Lady of Consolation dates from the very beginnings of Christianity. Devotion to Our Lady of Consolation grew es- pecially strong in the seventeenth century in the city of Luxembourg. The bubonic plague struck the people of that city, and scores of them died. In their anguish and suffering, the people fervently prayed to Mary, Consoler of the Afflicted. Among those struck by the plague were Father Brocquart and a number of his friends and parish- ioners who had been working together at building a wayside chapel on the outskirts of the city. Father Brocquart, lying at death’s door, dedicated him- self completely to the Blessed Mother. He prayed to her under the title of Our Lady of Consolation and promised to name the chapel after her if he were spared to finish it. His prayer was answered, and soon he was on his feet. He resumed work on the wayside chapel, and within a year he celebrated Mass on its altar in honor of Our Lady of Consolation. On the day of dedication an image of Our Lady of Consolation was placed over the altar. People came regularly to the chapel to pray and venerate the image of Our Lady of Consolation. The daughter of a city official was cured through prayers to Our Lady of Consolation. Other cures soon came to the attention of the authorities, and several were recognized as true miracles. People from other cities and countries began to make pilgrimages. The chapel had to be enlarged to accommodate the growing crowds. Later it was necessary to move the statue into the large city cathedral. The officials of the capital city adopted The original Shrine church. Our Lady of Consolation as the patroness of the Duchy of Luxembourg. This patronage was ap- proved on May 6, 1679, by Pope Innocent XL Devotion Spreads to This Country In the 1860’s, there came from Luxembourg to the United States a priest named Father Gloden who brought with him a strong devotion to Our Lady of Consolation. He took charge of St. Nicho- las parish in Frenchtown, Ohio and a mission in Carey, Ohio. At the mission, the people had begun the con- struction of a frame church under the patronage of St. Edward. But they had met many difficulties and were sorely discouraged. Father Gloden in- spired them with new faith and interest by asking The miraculous Image is carried to the memorial altar in Shrine Park. them to build the church for the Mother of God under the title of Our Lady of Consolation. Father Gloden then planned to transplant to Carey his native devotion to Our Lady of Consola- tion. When one of his parishioners at St. Nicholas left for a visit to Luxembourg, Father Gloden asked him to obtain an image of Our Lady of Con- solation. The man not only obtained a replica of the original image, but from Bishop Adames of Luxembourg he obtained a relic taken from the wood and cloth of the original image. This relic hangs around the neck of the Carey image today. When the image arrived at St. Nicholas at the end of March, 1875, Father Gloden celebrated a Mass of thanksgiving. Nearly two months later on May 24, he organized a procession to accompany the image to Carey. Over a thousand people walked in the procession from Frenchtown to Carey, a dis- tance of seven miles. During the procession a very remarkable occur- rence took place. Here it is as described in Father Gloden’s own words. On the 23rd of May towards evening, a heavy storm, accompanied by a very strong wind and thundering and lightning, arose in the west and swept over the country with great violence. After the storm had abated, a heavy and lasting rain set in. . . . In the morn- ing it was still raining heavily whilst we were saying our Masses. Nevertheless, the people Outdoor confessionals accommodate a large group of pilgrims. hastened to the church, and at the appointed time formed into procession, all with their ex- panded umbrellas. For a moment I had de- cided not to let the procession proceed, but considering that the people would be sorely disappointed I allowed it to start. . . . But be- hold, as soon as the statue was brought out of the church, the sun pierced the clouds and was shining on the whole line of the proces- sion all the way to about a mile from Carey. It was continually thundering and lightning on both sides of us. When we came to within a mile from the village of Carey, the clouds from both sides clashed together right in front of the procession, and it seemed im- possible for us to reach the church before the rain would pour down upon us. . . . When we reached the village of Carey, an immense crowd of spectators awaited us. The streets, the houses, the windows, even the very roofs were filled with people ... all stood silent, and by far the greater part of them uncovered their heads as we were passing on. At last we reached the church and ... we took the canopy with the statue from the shoulders of the young girls and entered the church. Scarcely had we entered when all of a sudden the rain poured down like a cloud- burst and hardly anyone found time to enter the church or seek shelter elsewhere to es- cape the rain. News of the amazing procession soon spread to the neighboring communities. In a short time, people were making pilgrimages to the Shrine. There were cures, there were wondrous favors granted through the intercession of Our Lady of Consolation. Franciscans Build the Shrine Church In 1912 Bishop Schrembs of Cleveland entrusted the Shrine to the Conventual Franciscan Fathers. Father Aloys Fish, O.F.M. Conv., came to Carey in 1912. Under his direction more and larger pilgrimages made their way to the Shrine. Father Aloys continued the building program. He planned and directed the construction of the magnificent upper Shrine church. It was dedicated on June 28, 1925. Pilgrims Flock to Carey The most popular month for pilgrimages is Au- gust. A special novena to Our Lady of Consolation is preached from August 6th to August 15th.