chicagotribune.com
A winding road for the faithful
A path lined with bronze depictions of Jesus near a 30-foot statue of Mary is predicted by some to become a pilgrimage destination
By Anne Ford
Special to the Tribune
November 30, 2007
When the idea of creating a prayer trail came up seven years ago, Rev. Sammie Maletta, pastor of
St. John the Evangelist Catholic parish in
St. John, Ind., didn’t have anything fancy in mind – just a simple wood-chip pathway with “little markers made out of brick with crosses on them or something,” he said.
He envisioned the trail leading from the grounds of the new church the 1,300-family congregation is constructing to the nearby Marian Wayside Shrine, a statue of the Virgin Mary that has towered more than 30 feet alongside U.S. Highway 41 since 1956.
Maletta’s aim was simple: to provide the devout with a meditative walk from the church to the statue, which many locals visit to pray, often with rosary beads in hand.
But then longtime parishioner and local businessman Frank Schilling picked up on the project, and “his vision far outstretched mine,” Maletta said.
“The whole thing is, I believe, all inspired by the Holy Spirit from the very beginning.”
Under the direction of Schilling and funded by the non-profit Marian Shrine Foundation, over the last seven years the notion of a simple trail has given way to something much more ambitious: the Shrine of Christ’s Passion, a paved, half-mile meandering pathway lined with 40 life-size bronze statues depicting scenes from Jesus’ final hours, as well as his resurrection and ascension into heaven.
Schilling and other parishioners involved with the shrine hope it will become a national destination for religious tourists.
The shrine won’t be completed until June, but sightseers are already wandering the grounds, and a visitor center and gift shop are scheduled to open Monday.
The path is laid out so that no grotto can be seen from any of the others, to allow for private meditation.
Each will contain a listening station, where visitors will push a button to hear a reflection recorded by journalist Bill Kurtis.
Some of the grottoes will encourage interaction, such as the Last Supper, where visitors will be able to sit at the table with statues of Jesus, St. John and St. Peter.
Schilling calls the shrine’s landscaping “very authentic, like something you would see in Jerusalem.”
Landscaping considerations were also taken into account when determining each statue’s placement.
The figure of Christ on the cross will be dramatically poised on a hill, so it will be silhouetted against the sunset. And visitors looking up at the statue of Christ ascending to heaven will see only sky behind it – no houses or trees.
One of the few statues already installed depicts a scene from Jesus’ appearance before the Roman governor who ordered his crucifixion, Pontius Pilate.
Visitors can walk right up to the statues and scrutinize details – the folds in Jesus’ robe, the thorns in his crown.
Near the visitor center, a separate, much smaller shrine will stand: the Sanctity of Life Shrine, which will depict Jesus kneeling and holding a tiny baby in his outstretched hands, with a tear on his face.
“I believe that when people see this shrine, there cannot be a human being on this earth who could not be moved,” he said.
A 2006 Travel Industry Association study found that 25 percent of travelers surveyed expressed interest in taking a spiritual vacation such as a religious retreat or pilgrimage.
And whereas religion-oriented trips have been primarily to Israel or Europe, we’re seeing a growth in domestic faith-based tourism," said Kevin J. Wright, founder and president of the World Religious Travel Association.
“One of the clearest examples is the growth in the number of faith attractions just in the last five to six years,” he said, such as the Creation Museum near Cincinnati, which opened in May and has already received a reported 250,000 visitors.
Whatever the eventual number of visitors, Schilling believes that the shrine will “change their hearts.”
“Even the people that worked on this project – I see a change in how they feel about their lives,” he said. “You can see in their eyes how proud they are. They can tell their grandchildren that they were part of a bigger thing than they’ve ever done.”
Tom Retseck, a parishioner and visitor center co-manager, said: “It’s holy ground, really.”
