Visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs

Last week on the last leg of our car journey from the CMN conference in Illinois to our home in Connecticut we were able to make a visit to the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, New York also known as the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs.

We had just come from the National Shrine of St. Kateri and upon driving upon this blessed ground we found this was also the birth place of St. Kateri.  The hills extended in all directions with beautiful vistas. It had been cool and raining so there were very few people at the Shrine.

Yet the weather was with us and cleared in time for us to walk the expansive grounds. There was a wrought iron gate that opened to lead to a dirt road going down to the Ravine. Along the road was the story of the martyrdom of St. Rene Goupil. The road ended with a clearing... the suspected location of Rene Goupil's death.

Standing in this clearing we knew that it was a very special place. We prayed. In a special way I said a prayer all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary. We then walked back up the road noticing this time more of the nature around us. There was a little stream that ran along the road. At one place there was a small wooden bridge that led to an area to pray. We made our way up the road and passed through the gate that had marked the beginning of the journey down to the Ravine. As we walked through a wooded area to reach the colosseum we passed through an area with mosaics honoring the 7 sorrows of Mary. The kids and I decided to follow Our Lady's sorrows. There were readings at each marker which I read aloud to the kids. The final sorrow led us toward the colosseum. This large round structure had many beautiful statues both of the North American Martyrs but also of the Child Jesus and Our Blessed Mother. The kids and I chose the colosseum to say a Rosary. We walked around the rotunda looking at each side and then decided we should pray in front of all the statues...not simply choosing one side. And so we began praying and then with each successive decade we moved just enough to catch a glimpse of a different statue. In this way we felt that none was being left out and we were experiencing the full joy of praying with a great many saints. In a special way we prayed during the Rosary for all the members of the Children's Rosary and all who help the Children's Rosary. This was the close of our journey to the CMN Conference...our last stop before returning home. Please know we carried you all with us in prayer. We thank you for your prayers for our journey.

Other Posts You May Enjoy
How to Start a Children's Rosary
"The Road that Leads to Life"
Little Hands Rescue Mary and Jesus

Don't forget to unify prayers with the children during their meetings. A schedule of meetings is present on our website. By clicking "Join in Prayer" you can add your gold flashing light to our View from Heaven map.

For more information about the Children's Rosary visit our website: www.childrensrosary.org
Visite nuestro sitio web en español para obtener más información: www.rosariodeninos.org