Summer Travel - Back in Time to Upstate New York

 August is my favorite summer month to make our trek to New York and New England. By August the heat in Virginia is monotonous and I appreciate some cool weather relief. Our first stop this summer was back home to the Albany area to visit brothers and sisters. The temperature gauge in the car slowly dropped as the miles north ticked by. We found the welcome relief I was longing for. It felt good to be outside all week without the need to escape the sun and heat.

Before we reached Albany, we stopped in Fultonville, New York to visit the Auriesville Shrine. I went to this shrine with my parents, aunt, and sister a couple of times back in the 1960's when I was young. My memories of the shrine were vague. They were also from a child's perspective. I wanted to see it again as an adult and with a mature understanding of our faith. The shrine marks the place where three Jesuit missionaries were martyred by the Mohawk Indians in the 1640's.  The history of the shrine can be found HERE.

 

Stations of the cross along the pathways were beautifully done in mosaic. There was another set of stations that went up to a hill of prayer.

 The grounds were not as I remembered it and it was difficult to get my bearings. The trees were all fifty years larger and the entire perspective was different than from my memory. However, it was more beautiful than I remembered. We must have visited it on a feast day when I was young because I remember there being a lot of visitors walking along the paths. Today it was quiet and serene. The place is rustic and has the northern, woodsy, Adirondack feel to it even though it is not located in the Adirondacks. Each path leads to different contemplative spaces with statues, prayers, chapels, and a church. Steve and I walked along the pathways and read the various plaques before attending Mass in the large, circular church. There was more to see than we allowed time for. The grounds aren't overly expansive but it is a contemplative space and one feels led to stop and pause for a time at each location. I was sorry the gift shop closed before we could get to it because I wanted to find some books to further explore the history of the shrine.

The Kateri Chapel built in the 1800's at the foot of the Hill of Torture.

 

The coliseum where Mass is held, built in the 1930's.

 

I am glad we had the opportunity to make the pilgrimage here this year. It took a memory from childhood and brought it to life and into the present moment. It also gave me a deeper appreciation for the holiness of this place and the sacrifices the Jesuits made. (Ever since reading The Musket and the Cross, I have been fascinated with the early explorers and settlers of North America and the interactions with the various native tribes.) Rather than completely satisfy my questions and curiosity, our visit to the Auriesville Shrine has left me feeling the need to go back again. I guess I now understand my mother's desire to take us there on more than one occasion. It was a gift she gave to me, perhaps without realizing it.