Golgotha

 

Station of the Cross

Shrine of the Holy Relics

Maria Stein Ohio

Jesus is nailed to the cross

Station of the Cross - Garden Shrine of the Holy Relics, Maria Stein.

Taken and edited with the iPad 2.

Sand Sculpture - Country Fest 2011

Sand Sculpture Maria Stein Country Fest 2011. I almost made it to the festival this year but decided not to brave the heat any longer.

Station of the Cross (Grunge)

As you can tell from the recent number of post; The Stations of the Cross are one of my favorite subjects. I took this with my iPad 2 and edited applying the drama and grunge filters to create the dreamy look you see here.

Station of the Cross (Garden)
Shrine of the Holy Relics
Maria Stein, Ohio

Sunshine of my Life

Picture taken with my iPad 2 at the Shrine of the Holy Relics

Jesus Carries His Cross

If you wish to come after me, you must take up the cross and follow me. If you wish to save your life, you will lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it. Matthew 16:25

Shrine of the Holy Relics, Maria Stein Ohio
Taken with my iPad2

Coming Face to Face with Jesus

Taken at the Shrine of the Holy Relics in Maria Stein Ohio.

Picture taken with my iPad2.

Our Lady of Grace

Our Lady of Grace stained glass window from the Shrine of the Holy Relics in Maria Stein Ohio.

Revelation 22:14

Latin - Beati, qui lavant stolas suas in sanguine Agni :
English - Blessed are they that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb:

Relic Chapel
(Shrine of the Holy Relics / Maria Stein Ohio)

The Fatima Prayer

Fatima Statue Holy Relic Chapel (Shrine of the Holy Relics, Maria Stein, Ohio)

John 3:16 - Poster Series

Paper Mache Crucifix

Shrine of the Holy Relics

Maria Stein - Ohio

Maria Stein Country Fest Sand Sculpture

Well I didn't make it to this years Maria Stein Country Fest. So I was pretty happy when I found this years Sand Sculpture still intact this weekend while taking pictures of my son and his girlfriend on the grounds.



The festival is noted for its square dancing tractors and this sand sculpture.

Stations of the Cross (Collage)

As noted throughout my blog, the Stations of the Cross have held a special fascination for me ever since I first saw them. This collage is made up from a collection of ceramic interpretations made by a student. There on only thirteen pictures in the collage. I must of missed one.



You can find these hanging in the gallery at the Maria Stein Heritage Museum.

Sacred Heart of Jesus

The altar rail from The Shrine of the Holy Relics in Maria Stein received new gold gilding as part of the last major renovation. Pictured here is one section featuring the Sacred Heart of Jesus.



The Sacred Heart is a religious devotion to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of the divine love for humanity. Here we see it as a flaming heart shining with divine light, surrounded by a crown of thorns.

If you look closely you can see Jesus lying in the sepulcher in the background.

The entire altar rail is made up of different wooden carvings as detailed by this picture.



I hope to feature other carved sections of the altar rail in the near future.

A Prayer Before The Relics

Oh, Saints of God, in faith and confidence I turn my prayers to you. I am told that these relics are portions of your earthly remains. These relics call to mind your lives of virtue, your lives dedicated to the love of Christ and of His holy Gospel.

I ask your prayers on this, my pilgrimage. I pray that you may join as one great choir asking our loving Father to assist me in my life, to help me find the path to holiness, to a life filled with virtue and love.

All you holy children of the Father, who are a great strength to the Church, bless me with your prayers. I give praise to our Father for your lives of faith and courage, for your love and devotion. I offer thanksgiving for your example to the world and your prayers for me.

Amen.

Prayer and pictures from the Shrine of the Holy Relics.

Special thanks goes out to Sr. Regina for the tour and opening up the Relic Chapel and letting me have a chance to see the Relic Chapel in all its glory.

Shrine of the Holy Relics (On the Grounds Winter)

There is plenty to see outside the Maria Stein Center which houses the Shrine of the Holy Relics. Enough so that this post hardly covers it all.

Pictured here is the Lourdes Grotto located between the Chapel and the Courtyard.



The tribute refers to the Marian apparition that is reported to have appeared before various individuals on separate occasions around Lourdes, France in a grotto in the late 1850's.

The Sacred Heart grotto offers an outdoor setting for prayer and contemplation. Though I would think that only the truly brave would do so in this winter snow.



Nestled in the Statue Garden is a new monument in memory of all children who have died. Called the Angel Garden, the 9 foot granite stoned memorial was dedicated in October 2007.
I have taken several pictures on numerous visits of this wonderful monument and feel that I have yet to capture it properly. I hope someday to feature it in its own post when I do.

Adoration Chapel (Shrine of the Holy Relics - Part II)

Out side the Relic Chapel is the larger Adoration Chapel. This chapel is not much different than what you would find in any Catholic church. Pictured here you can see the main and both side altars.



Shortly before I had arrived the sisters had been praying with someone with cancer with the relic of St. Peregrine Laziosi. The relic had been replaced when I took this picture, but this is the small statue of St. Peregrine. Notice the exposed bandage on his leg that was healed from cancer. Unfortunately I didn't get a very good picture but it's not likely that I would get a chance to re-shoot it.




There are two murals, pictured above the one on the ceiling and below on one of the walls.



The stations of the cross are paintings and some are in need of repair/restoration. If you look closely at this one you can see damage in both left corners.


I don't think this series is one of my better ones, but I did like this Crucifix shot.

The Chapel in the Woods

While surfing the net looking for other people's pictures of the Cross Tipped Churches, I stumbled upon a rather unusual one of a relief of Purgatory. And much to my surprise it was taken at a place I had already been many times, and not once I had I seen or heard anything about a chapel in the woods.



So I had to revisit the Maria Stein Center to find just where this was. When they told me you could of knocked me over with a feather. I had been by it many times in my walk a bouts but thought it was a playhouse for children because of its diminutive size and proximity to a play ground.



According to the sisters it had not always been a chapel. It was first used by the sisters to process maple sap and was called the Sugar House. What I found inside was this simple but amazing altar. I was touched to see the tokens of thanks and petitions for prayer. .



The chapel even had a complete set of The Stations of the Cross. These were hand carved wood reliefs with a hint of stain for color.



This relief of Purgatory looks even more distressed than it did in the photo I saw on the Internet. Being at ground level and open to the elements it has seen its share of abuse. The whole subject of Purgatory is a fascinating one and one I plan to explore further.



If I can ever find the time, I think I would like to see if I could restore the look of this in PhotoShop. Just what I need another project.

Relic Chapel Stained Glass Windows

There are four stained glass windows in the Relic Chapel, located at the Shrine of the Holy Relics. The windows were imported form Munich Germany. This first one is St. Francis Xavier He is sometimes picture with St. Ignatius Loyola who convinced him to use his talents to spread the Gospel.

In his left hand he holds a cross, I am not sure what he is holding in his right. The detail in these windows is remarkable. Here is a close up so you can see the detail in the beard and fingernails.


The next window is Joseph, Mary and Jesus


This window of St. Kunigunda shows her holding a church, symbolic of the many churches and hospitals she helped found.

Here is a close up of her holding the church.

Once again the detail is just stunning.

This last stained glass window is Saint Rose of Lima.

Here is a close up of her as well. At first glance I completely missed the crown of thorns.
I found it fascinating the she was so devout about her faith and her oath of chastity that she used pepper and lye to ruin her complexion so she would not be attractive.

As always I enjoyed my stay and exploration at the Shrine of the Holy Relics. If you are ever in the area this is a must stop and see.

Related Links:
Fish Eaters (Symbols of the Saints in Art)
Saints SQPN
Catholic.Org (Saints)
Maria Stein Center

These were taken hand held with my Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens at F/5.6 1/60 ISO 400.

Maria Stein Heritage Museum

The Maria Stein Heritage Museum and Shrine of the Holy Relics are all housed in the same building. The museum is located on the second floor. Opened in 1982, the museum was designed to preserve and display the culture of the early pioneers of southern Auglaize and Mercer counties in Ohio.

The settlers were mostly German descent of Roman Catholic faith and are responsible for the numerous cross tipped spires in the area, creating what we now call "The Land of the Cross Tipped Churches". The displays are a remembrance to their way of life.

Along with a history of the area and Cross Tipped Churches, special attention is given the history of the Sisters of the Precious Blood and the contributions they made to the community.

The museum while not large is a wealth of information. I have found it an interesting way to spend the afternoon on more than one occasion.

Featured so far is a Wood Carved Interpretation of one of the Stations of the Cross. This is actually in a gallery separate from the museum and is 1 of 14 carvings. Porcelain Nuns having fun, one of just many on display. This one made me chuckle. A collection of rosary's and a moment of time captured in the form of a crucifix and pillow. Pictured left a crucifix hanging agains a nun's uniform from back in the day.




This is called a Passion Trophy. According to the placard it containes the elements found in the Passion of Christ. It reads as follows: "So called for the instruments of torture used during the passion of Jesus. The lantern used to find Jesus in the garden. The sword that cut off the servant's ear, The scourge, the dice used by the soldiers to cast lots for Jesus' tunic, the purple robe, the cock that crowed, the vessel with common wine, the sponge on a sprig of hyssop, the lance the pierced Jesus' heart, the ladder with which they took down Jesus' body."

There is plenty to see and do here and I highly recommend making it a stop if your ever in the area.

Related Links:
Click here to go to their WEB page