Shrine Behind the Parking Lot

(173 total words in this text)
(3755 Reads)  

Looking out the back door of the church onto the four and a half acres of property unused by buildings, driveways and parking lots, you see our Parish Shrine.

It began years ago when Mike Dandar, a loyal lifelong parishioner, decided that that land "needed something," so he had a large wooden cross made and placed it in the center of the property. Simple though it was, it made an attractive addition to the parish facilities.

A few years later Andrew Szilagye decided that the Shrine needed embellishing. He created plans to add two icon "roadside shrines", a concrete bench, flower pots and a concrete slab foundation. It sounded ambitious, but his model aroused considerable interest among the parishioners, many of whom decided to offer monetary support for this project. Soon thereafter, the Shrine grew to its present proportions.

It has become a favorite spot for prayer visits; a little bit of the countryside in our ever-growing city of Oregon.

In 2002, painted icons will replaced the fading prints of the Shrine.