Our Caring Mother for the Handicapped Shrine
Mile 1 Snug Harbor Road • Cooper Landing, AK 99572
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Shrine of Divine Mercy
409 Mossyrock Road West • Mossyrock, WA 98564
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Abbey of Our Lady of New Clairvaux
26240 7th St • Vina, CA 96092
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Carmel Mission Basilica
3080 Rio Road • Carmel, CA 93923
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Mission San Juan Bautista
406 2nd St, San Juan Bautista, CA 95045
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Our Lady of Peace Shrine
2800 Mission College Blvd • Santa Clara, CA 95054
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Shrine of St. Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer
544 West Cliff Drive • Santa Cruz, CA 95060
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Shrine of St. Joseph of the Mountains
16887 Shrine Drive • Yarnell, AZ 85362
Our Lady of the Sierras Shrine
10310 S Twin Oaks Road • Hereford, AZ 85615
Lourdes Grotto and Our Lady of Guadalupe
5712 Blanco Road • San Antonio, TX 78216
Waypoint 101
Our Caring Mother for the Handicapped Shrine is an official pilgrimage site for Catholics in the Archdiocese Anchorage-Juneau. It is located at the St. John Neumann Mission in Cooper Landing, Alaska, nestled among towering mountains near Kenai Lake.
It’s a beautiful drive from Anchorage, no matter what time of year. We visited in the Autumn and were reminded of God’s glory by the gold hued trees set against the backdrop of snowcapped mountains and a clear blue sky. The drive, a part of the pilgrimage, prepared our hearts for the peaceful majesty we were to enjoy at the shrine.
This outdoor shrine is open all year round but probably best visited in late Spring, Summer, and early Fall.
St. John Neumann Mission is a mission parish of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Seward, Alaska and hosts the shrine. This mission parish is an active one and you’ll be warmly welcomed when you attend Mass there. You can find current Mass times for the mission at the Sacred Heart Parish website.
The main shrine sits in a garden setting of God’s handiwork - towering spruce and birch trees with a special mix of indigenous alpine plants blanketing the area. The shrine is accessed by trail or a ramp for handicap accessibility. The stained-glass image of the Virgin Mary beneath the cross was designed and created by a local artist. The red bands indicate our Mother Mary embracing everyone’s handicaps, while radiating God’s grace within the white bands and His eternal presence in the blue bands.
A walking path meanders through the cemetery and stations of the cross encircling the shrine.
Behind the back of the shrine sits a reflection pool and resting bench, as well as the gravesite of Archbishop Francis T. Hurley, the Archbishop of Anchorage who in 1999 dedicated the shrine. From this area the image of Our Caring Mother is also visible for contemplation.
This sacred space has two hidden gems that you'll want to experience in addition to the main shrine. Be sure to click the video to see what they are.
Stop by this beautiful shrine on the way to or from a fishing trip or take a special day retreat. Your spirit and faith will be strengthened by your visit to Our Caring Mother for the Handicapped Shrine.
Waypoint 102
(This is the shrine that started us on our pilgrimage to Finding Sacred Spaces!)
The Shrine of Divine Mercy is located at the Degoede Bulb Farm and Gardens in Mossyrock, Washington.
Henry and Hildegard DeGoede, founders of the DeGoede Bulb Farm and Gardens, built this shrine in 1996 in gratitude for all God’s blessings they received during their lives and marriage.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel and the Memorial and Healing Garden for the victims of abortion sit at the base of the hill and a 70-foot cross crowns the peak. A trail winds up the forested hill from the chapel to the cross. As you ascend the path, hand painted Stations of the Cross offer prayerful reflections of Christ’s Passion. A side path along the Way of the cross leads to the Rosary Trail in Mary’s Garden where you can meditate on all mysteries of the rosary.
The white cross at the top of the hill evokes reflection of the Lord’s Divine Mercy. It is designed in multiples of 70, reflecting Jesus' commandment to forgive 70 times seven. The cross itself is 70 feet tall and is anchored in 7 cubic feet of concrete foundation. There are 7 steps up to the cross representing the seven sorrows of Mary. Plenty of benches encircle the cross, so you can sit for a while, contemplate God’s love and mercy, and take in the beauty of His creation of the valley below.
This shrine is open all year round. We visited in both summer and winter and have found peace and solace in this beautiful shrine dedicated to the glory of the Divine Mercy.
Waypoint 103
We happened upon this sacred space serendipitously when Sue was looking at a tourist guidebook of Northern California. There was a tiny paragraph about a Trappist winery that was a mere ten miles from where we were staying for a few nights.
Founded in 1955, this monastery is named after the extinct abbey of Clairvaux in France. Yet it goes back even further with 800-year-old monastery stones, transplanted from Spain to this very monastery in the Americas.
Once you enter the Chapter House, built from the very bricks from an 800 year old past Spanish Cistercian monastery, well…you’ll just have to experience it in person. In the meantime, you can view the video here.
Waypoint 104
This sacred space has it all --- mission, basilica, active parish, museum, a papal visitation, and the grave site of the first saint to be canonized in America.
It requires a good part of a day to experience Carmel Mission, but well worth the time invested. After touring the mission and museum, we knew we had to come back the very next Sunday for Mass. We were base camped in Gilroy, CA which is about 45 miles from the mission. To hear a 2,000 piped organ and choir adding to the Eucharistic liturgy was more than worth the extra drive.
Click the video link for Waypoint 104 where we share our visit to Carmel Mission Basilica and helpful links if you wish to take a deeper dive into this historical sacred space.
Waypoint 105
Mission San Juan Bautista, the 15th of the 21 missions in California, is the largest of all the mission churches.
Built on the San Andreas fault, much of this California mission was destroyed by an earthquake, the same year it was finished, in 1812 and then again in 1906. Yet, by the grace of God, it has survived and thrived as the only California mission church to have been in continuous use since its establishment in 1797.
We found this interesting as our own parish church in Alaska, Saint Andrew (San Andreas), was ravaged by a major earthquake on the feast day of Saint Andrew in 2018 only 12 years after its completion and dedication. Like Mission San Juan Bautista, it too has been restored.
Please join us as we visit this California Mission by clicking our video.
St. John the Baptist, pray for us!
St. Andrew the Apostle, pray for us!
Waypoint 106
Our Lady of Peace parish was built in the middle of orchards and farm fields in Santa Clara, California. Today, located amid a bustling village of giant office buildings, it is surrounded by BIG name tech companies, the Great America amusement park and the 49er's home field stadium.
At one time, serving only a few parishioners and saddled with nearly half a million dollars in debt, the parish was slated for closure. A priest with a dream, Msgr. Sweeny, took over as pastor of this challenged parish in 1969.
Using a three-part formula of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, a devotion to Our Lady and an unwavering loyalty to the teachings of the church, he guided the Catholic community for more than thirty years to the vibrant parish and shrine that it is today.
Now, the parish thrives with thousands attending Mass each week, countless souls converting, long lines of sinners confessing and a 32-foot stainless steel image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary gracing the landscape of Silicon Valley.
Click the video link to Waypoint 106 where we share our visit to Our Lady of Peace Shrine and helpful links.
Our Lady of Peace, pray for us!
Waypoint 107
The Shrine and Church of Saint Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer, overlooking Monterey Bay is an official pilgrimage site not to be missed.
This devotional sacred space is all about a man's man, who protected the unborn Savior through His birth, formative years, and youth with courage, strength and peace.
Daily Mass and Confession are available as well as opportunity for prayer in the beautiful meditation gardens. Here one can find mercy and healing at the statue of Saint Joseph, Patron of the Unborn.
A walk through the garden of the seven sorrows and joys of St. Joseph will surely leave you a different person than when you entered. May you embrace this devotion for yourself to find the courage, strength and peace of Saint Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer.
Click the video link to Waypoint 107 for a glimpse of this inspiring sacred space and for helpful links.
St. Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer, pray for us!