Home
|
Shrine sacristan lends listening ear to Carey pilgrims |
|
|
|
Written by LAURIE STEVENS, Chronicle Writer
|
|
Friday, 04 January 2008 |
CAREY—Over the years, countless pilgrims visiting the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey have crossed paths with Marge Sowers.
Some remember her by name, while others may only recall her as the kindly sacristan who took the time to hear their story.
A listening ear and sometimes a shoulder to cry on is just what many of the people who visit the shrine need, according to Mrs. Sowers.
“I can’t give advice or anything, I just listen,” she says humbly.
 |
| Marge Sowers, sacristan at Our Lady of Consolation Basilica and National Shrine, holds up a dress made for the revered statue of Our Lady of Consolation. The statue has its own wardrobe room filled with hundreds of handmade dresses donated by grateful pilgrims from around the world, and Mrs. Sowers helps change the dress on the statue about every two weeks. The custom dates back to the Middle Ages, when precious cloth was given in offering to wrap relics or statues. (Chronicle photo by Laurie Stevens) |
Mrs. Sowers, a resident of nearby Sycamore, says it was her devotion to Mary that first brought her to Our Lady of Consolation in 1984. It wasn’t long after that she was lighting candles and helping with other tasks at the church.
“I came here one day and they needed help, and ever since I stayed,” she laughs.
She now spends every day of the week but Monday volunteering at the shrine, sometimes working 10 or 12 hours a day during the busier summertime months.
As sacristan, her duties include tasks like cleaning the holy water fountains, tidying up the pews and changing the dress on the revered statue of Our Lady of Consolation, but her interactions with shrine visitors are what make each day unique.
“There’s no typical day at the shrine,” she says. “You never know what to expect.”
Every year, thousands of pilgrims bring their joys, sorrows and intentions before the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Consolation, located on the right side of the sanctuary inside the upper basilica. Since the statue was brought to Carey from Luxembourg in 1875, numerous answered prayers and miracles have been attributed to Mary’s intercession under her title as “Consoler of the Afflicted.”
The Conventual Franciscan Friars have staffed Our Lady of Consolation since 1912, providing sacramental ministry and praying with the pilgrims individually.
“That individual touch of prayer, I think, touches peoples hearts very deeply,” says Conventual Franciscan Father John Raphael Hadnagy, parish pastor and rector of the shrine.
He adds that many of the pilgrims are seeking someone to listen, which Mrs. Sowers does often.
“There’s nobody like Marge,” says Fr. Hadnagy. “She ministers to the pilgrims in ways that we as the friars don’t have time to do.”
Administrative assistant Donna Johnson says she even receives phone calls at the shrine from people who have met the sacristan and request her prayers.
For Mrs. Sowers, it has been a joy to hear “so many beautiful stories” over the years and to witness the devotion of the pilgrims.
She remembers watching one old woman crawl up the aisle on her knees toward the statue of Our Lady, tears streaming down her face.
“I can see her face, this old weathered face,” she says.
The woman told Mrs. Sowers she came to the shrine every year from Michigan. Once during the gas shortage of the Great Depression, she traveled to Carey despite criticism by others. When her group got in the car to leave the shrine, they discovered the gas tank was still full.
“She said they got back into Michigan and they still hadn’t used a drop of gas,” recalls Mrs. Sowers.
Her favorite part of the church is the lower basilica for its quiet, peaceful atmosphere.
First-class relics from various saints are displayed for veneration on one side of the lower church. In glass cases on the other side, prayer intentions and heartfelt notes of gratitude testifying to the intercession of Our Lady accompany photos, crutches and other mementos left behind by pilgrims whose prayers have been answered. Framed photos of armed service members and others are also on display, with hand-written notes attached requesting prayers.
Chatting easily, Mrs. Sowers shares stories about items in the display cases, like a faded baby blanket accompanied by a yellowing letter written to God. She relates that she found the blanket and note placed over the statue of baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas Eve about 10 years ago. The pastor simply read the heartfelt note aloud for his homily at midnight Mass, she says.
“Some stories are beautiful stories, and some stories are so heartbreaking,” she says, gazing at the items on display.
The shrine is open 24 hours a day, and Mrs. Sowers says it is not unusual for her to come in at 7 a.m. and find people there who have spent the night in prayer.
Many pray to Our Lady of Consolation for spiritual and physical healing, for jobs and for children.
Mrs. Sowers says couples struggling to conceive have prayed for children at the shrine and returned several years later with twins or even triplets. She has also held babies who were paralyzed, only to see them later return walking.
“I know this is a place of miracles,” she says earnestly. “There’s so much that happens all the time.”
|
|
Catholic Chronicle of The Toledo Diocese RSS Feed
|
