Sorrowful Mother Shrine update Nov. 2025
In the past three months, over 50 groups were welcomed to the Sorrowful Mother Shrine to spend a few hours or the day reflecting and praying in the serene atmosphere that this holy place has to offer.
The Catholic Year of Hope, or Jubilee Year 2025, designated by the late Pope Francis, encourages Catholics to embark on a spiritual journey as a means of rediscovering and deepening their faith. The Sorrowful Mother Shrine was designated as one of four locations in the Toledo Diocese as a Jubilee Pilgrimage site by Bishop Daniel E. Thomas. As a result, pilgrims from various local parishes and schools traveled to the shrine to make their prayerful visit.
In addition to these pilgrimages, ethnic groups also continued their annual tradition of spending time at the shrine celebrating their heritage. The shrine enjoyed hosting the Chaldeans from Detroit, Michigan; the Slovenians from the Cleveland, Ohio area; Hispanics from the Bellevue and Norwalk, Ohio area; and Italians from southeastern Michigan. The pilgrims celebrated Mass, spent prayerful time at the various grottos located throughout the grounds, enjoyed fellowship during lunch, and shopped leisurely at the beautiful shrine gift shop. It is always a special day at the shrine when ethnic groups choose to honor their heritage with us.
Sept. 14 at the shrine was a special day marking the closing of the year-long celebration of the 175th anniversary of the Sorrowful Mother Shrine. Over 500 people enjoyed the beautiful weather as they participated in the closing Mass, celebrated by Bishop Daniel E. Thomas. We were honored to welcome the huge number of people throughout the past year who helped us celebrate 175 years of the Sorrowful Mother Shrine.
As the winter months approach, the staff at the shrine look forward to working with the new leadership. We extend a warm welcome to our new Rector Br. Daryl Charron. Staff will assist him in implementing his fresh ideas and suggestions for enhancing the prayerful and spiritual experiences that we offer to all those who spend time at the shrine. Br. Daryl Charron will be assisted by Fr. Patrick Gonyeau, Fr. Yuri Kuzara, Fr. Marco Loth, and Br. Terrence Nufer.