Carey Ohio

Several weeks ago, we planned to make a short trip to Carey, Ohio, to visit a shrine known to provide miraculous healings for over a century. At the time our plans fell through, we rescheduled for April 5th before we fully understood what was really in God's plan. It wasn't a coincidence that it happened to be the first day of the novena to Blessed Margaret (which we hadn't yet discovered) - another one of those "God Winks." Thanks to Jessica's parents for babysitting, and some flexibility from Tom's work, we were able to head up Friday evening.

The Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation is located in a small village less than 2 hours northwest of our home in Westerville. Started in 1875, the shrine is dedicated to Mary's role in providing relief to those who are afflicted in various ways. The devotion dates to 17th century Luxembourg - amidst the plague, people asked Mary for God's intercession for relief. The Pope from that time period commissioned a statue that is now in the Ohio shrine, and people who have asked for Mary's help before the statue have received God's blessings.

We arrived late afternoon, and had a chance to quietly walk through the shrine - virtually by ourselves. We started in the undercroft, which is filled with beautiful statutes, and an immense collection of 1st Class relics, including some of St. Peter (Edward's middle name) and St. Andrew (who we named our son Andrew after). There was also a cabinet of items testifying to decades of miraculous healings at the shrine - old crutches and braces that had been left behind by those who no longer needed them, to letters and pictures of those who had been blessed with a miracle.  When we learned that this is only a small sample of what was left behind, we realized we were in the right place.

Upstairs, the main church was stunning, with an incredible amount of detail and devotion under soaring ceilings and gorgeous stained-glass windows. To the right of the main sanctuary, hundreds of candles were placed before an altar with the statue of our lady high above. Each flame of hope briefly carried a passionate prayer for healing through our Lady to our Lord. On the other side of the sanctuary was a stone monument to Mary's suffering at having experienced the death of her son.


The original wooden church was not open, so before we headed to dinner, we browsed through the bookstore. For some time, we'd been offering some prayers to Caroline's guardian angel (and to our own angels as well), and we had been looking for a reminder of their presence for our house. We found a beautiful guardian angel statute to serve that purpose. While checking out, the ladies who worked there gave us some advice on what to expect from the healing service. Since it was a Friday during Lent, and since the shrine is a functioning parish for the people of Carey, there was a big fish fry for dinner in the social hall across the street. Before mass we headed back to the church and watched the parish teens lead a living Stations of the Cross.

As mass ended, the priest gave a short talk on what to expect in the healing service. He started with adoration/exposition of the Blessed Sacrament (where we can experience Jesus' presence right before us), and then people came before the altar to be prayed over. On our turn, we shared with him briefly about Caroline's diagnosis, and he offered some words of compassion and hope. He responded not only by anointing Jessica, in that Caroline is very much a part of her, but also praying over us for Caroline's healing. He left us with a simple request that Tom pray with Caroline every day, and that we try to find a priest to pray frequently.

Little did we know that the following day, God sent our new Bishop (who's been on the job for less than a month) to answer that call. It is funny how God outdoes himself in generosity - we shouldn't be surprised that when we prayed for a drink of water, he delivered a reservoir. Tom's K of C Council participates in an annual softball tournament and pig roast at the seminary here in Columbus - one of only two owned by the Pope outside of Italy. Early in the afternoon, the new Bishop of the Columbus Diocese made a surprise informal visit. While lining up for the meal, we shared with him about Caroline and spent a significant amount of time  praying over us and Caroline.  (Thanks to a good friend, Emily for capturing such a special moment). All in all, we really appreciated a day of friendship, with chance to be in the fresh air and sunshine.