Shrine to mark anniversary with festival

MARIA STEIN - A new festival will commemorate an important religious occasion that happened 170 years ago.

The Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics will celebrate the 170th anniversary of the shrine's founding by the Sisters of the Precious Blood. The day will be commemorated with a Heritage Day festival from 1-4 p.m. Saturday at the shrine.

"It marks exactly 170 years since the sisters arrived on the property, almost to the day. They began Perpetual Adoration on Sept. 24, 1846," said Amy Kempfer Petsch, marketing coordinator for the Shrine.

This year marks the first celebration of Heritage Day, but Petsch said organizers hope to make the festival an annual event.

"It will be kind of an interactive day for people to come out and enjoy the property and see the different things we have available for people to come and do." Petsch said.

The free event will begin with a homecoming ceremony in the Adoration Chapel. Youth games and activities will run from 1:30-4 p.m., and a pie-baking contest and auction will be at 2 p.m. Those interested in entering a pie should register with Petsch by calling 419-925-4532. An old-time tractor show, a petting zoo, a quilt show, parish trivia, a photo booth, bingo and food booths also will be available during the afternoon.

A Relic Chapel presentation will be given at 2:45 p.m. and the Sound Waves Chorus will perform at 3:15 p.m. The festivities will conclude with the basket raffle, a balloon launch and the drawing of the $1,000 Heritage Club winner.

The Very Rev. Francis de Sales Brunner and his mother, Maria Anna Brunner, who established the Sisters of the Precious Blood community in Loewenberg, Switzerland, were instrumental in sending the first sisters to America. The first three arrived in this area in the summer of 1844.

They carried the remainder of Father Brunner's relic collection to be reunited with the objects he had previously brought to the area.

The cornerstone for the Maria Stein convent was laid Nov. 16, 1845. In the fall of 1846 Father Brunner dedicated the chapel under the title of Mary Help of Christians and named the convent Maria Stein in memory of the Swiss Benedictine convent of that name. On Sept. 24, 1846, eight sisters entered the frame house as their first convent and began perpetual adoration that night.
   Today, the Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics is situated on nearly 30 acres of beautifully landscaped, peaceful rolling grounds at 2291 St. Johns Road. The shrine grounds include many unique opportunities for walking, reflection and prayer in a peaceful environment.

The shrine's religious, genealogical, cultural and architectural history is of interest to visitors from around the world. Many events are hosted at the site throughout the year. Included at the site are a gift shop, historical museum, relic chapel and adoration chapel. The relic chapel houses the second-largest collection of relics of saints in the United States.

If you go:
What: Heritage Day Celebration
When: 1-4 p.m. Saturday Sunday
Where: Maria Stein Shrine of Holy Relics
2291 St. Johns Road, Maria Stein

Correction:

The story about the Heritage Day Celebration at the Maria Stein Shrine of Holy Relics had an incorrect date for the festival. The event will be from 1-4 p.m. Sunday at the Shrine, 2291 St. Johns Road. The error occurred in reporting.