Many consider Our Lady of Lourdes National Shrine in Euclid to be a hidden gem in the Diocese of Cleveland. During the past century, thousands of faithful have visited the secluded, wooded 26-acre shrine grounds, which are owned and operated by the Sisters of the Most Holy Trinity.
Hundreds gathered on May 31, Trinity Sunday, under bright blue skies as Bishop Edward Malesic and the sisters, accompanied by Knights of Columbus and shrine knights, processed from the chapel to the grotto for an outdoor Mass celebrating the shrine’s centennial. Joining as concelebrants were Father Joshua Warshak, OSST, chaplain at the Trinitarians’ DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, Father Andy Turner, president/rector of Borromeo and Saint Mary seminaries, and Father John Paul Kuzma, OFM Cap, a Borromeo faculty member.
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“The sisters lovingly care for this sacred place,” the bishop said. “They welcome visitors with a smile so it’s no surprise they’re welcoming us here today on the feast of the Holy Trinity.”
The Trinity is a unique thing for Catholics, the bishop said, explaining that God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit form a community of love – a Trinity – and that image is imprinted upon us. Making the Sign of the Cross is one of the first and last things Catholics do, the bishop said, noting it is a sign of the Holy Trinity.
“We can’t get to heaven on our own. The Father sent his only Son to be our savior and to show us the way to heaven. If you believe in him, you will find the way … God from God, true God from true God, as we say in the creed … God’s love flows from the cross,” the bishop said.
Reflecting on the Trinitarian Sisters’ ministry, he said they continue to be a sign of God’s trinitarian love. The shrine offers “a reset button.” Bishop Malesic said, adding it is a sacred place for those unable to visit Lourdes, France, where the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Bernadette.
Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, dedicated in 1926, is a replica of that site. It is carved from Italian marble and water flows over a piece of stone from the original shrine in France. Sister Phyllis Anne Lavelle, OSST, the order’s local superior, said people from all over the world have visited the shrine in Euclid to touch the stone and to find serenity in the Stations of the Cross and Rosary Hill. Outdoor Masses are celebrated from May through October.
She spoke briefly after Mass, welcoming all to the celebration and encouraging them to visit the shrine often. She also noted that Mother Augustine, OSST, mother general of the Trinitarian Sisters, and her companion, Sister Anna Chiara, OSST, were visiting the shrine for the centennial and attended the Mass.
A reception in the St. Ann Dining Room followed the Mass. Many of the visitors spent time praying before the Blessed Mother and walking on the shrine grounds.
The shrine was originally Harms’ Farm. Julia Harms said the Blessed Mother appeared to her at what is today the grotto. She said Mary told her that she would have a child who would die soon after birth. A devout Catholic, Harms asked her husband to ensure that if the family ever sold the property, it would be dedicated to the Blessed Mother, which it was.
Learn more about the Trinitarian Sisters here. Click here for information about the shrine and upcoming centennial events.