The second part of our journey was a trip to The Shrine of Our Lady, Help of Christians on Holy Hill, about a half-hour north east of Milwaukee. I have wanted to return to Holy Hill since my last visit, about nine years ago. I was with a church group, and didn’t have half the time I would have liked, then. This trip we STILL didn’t have enough time, but I think we got to see much more than before.
If you ever get the chance to visit Holy Hill, jump at it. It is gorgeous. There is so much natural beauty in the area, and the craftsmanship throughout the Shrine is so beautiful, I cannot describe it. It lifts the mind to God and to Heaven. We cannot imagine the splendors of heaven in our ordinary surroundings. In these extraordinary surroundings, we see enough of a glimmer of that splendor to realize just how amazing it must be. I could do a full post on each section of the shrine, but there are other things I want to get to, as far as the weekend goes. Perhaps another time. For now, here are the highlights.
I love the statues in the St. Therese chapel. They are done in white, with gold trim, and the detail is magnificent on each. Note the mirroring pieces of marble on the high alter, with the (I think) inlayed mosaic flowers. There were so many mosaics EVERYWHERE we went! It was so neat to see the detail in them!
After the St. Therese chapel, we climbed the 170-some stairs to the tower. Talk about a long way up! The view was definitely worth it, but I admit I was shaking by the time we got back down again. Who needs roller coasters with a thrill like that?
Our next stop was the main church. What little breath I had left after our climb was taken away by the beauty of it. The mosaic above the high alter is unbelievable, and strips of marble radiate from it like heavenly rays.
This technique is mirrored in the side chapel, where Our Lady, Help of Christians is being crowned. It is in this chapel that I light my candles.
We were only able to see one of the Stations of the Cross, due to our limited time. I hope I will be able to go back someday soon to make the full half-mile journey.
Our last stop was the Lourdes Grotto. Of the three grottos we saw, this was the largest. Holy water runs down the face of the rock and into a pool, and there are spigots on each side to fill holy water bottles.
This is just a small part of Holy Hill (we took over 200 pictures!) Everyone says to come back in the fall, when the leaves are changing. I recommend allowing far more than two or three hours to really enjoy it - and be sure to bring your camera!
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