Beautiful Place

Bike trails bring us to beautiful, scenic, historic and unusual places. Most are not intended; we ride for the enjoyment of riding. The end result is a treasure given to us and we relish whatever we find. Sometimes, that treasure is most unexpected and unusual. The narrow, overgrown path with tall grass on each side characterized this section of the Delphi IN Historic Trails. An opening in the woods brought us one such unexpected treasure – Schoenstatt Wayside Shrine.Having lived in Germany for three years, we knew Schoenstatt meant beautiful place. Yet we were not familiar with any wayside shrine. We learned this Catholic movement began in the Rhine region in 1914. In early 2000, four Catholic women, the “core four”, began a drive to establish a shrine in Delphi. The shrine would allow locals and visitors to take a break from the stress and activities of daily life. It would be a place of meditation and prayer to honor the Blessed Mother and receive grace. The shrine was dedicated in the fall of 2005 on the outskirts of Delphi. The plan and dream is to one day have a chapel and visitor center at the site. Until then, people can receive the three pilgrimage graces: The grace of being at home with God, The grace of inner transformation and The grace of apostolic mission.

We first noticed the shrine while driving and made a mental note to come back and visit. What we did not realize was the shrine was accessible by bike. Our first bike trip on the historic trails we passed a sign for the shrine and on our way back, we stopped. There is a shrine dedicated to the Blessed Mother along with a walking path. The path is the Way of the Cross. Each station is etched on a boulder.

The shrine area is peaceful and meditative. It is a place that calls you back again and again. We could just imagine watching the landscape change each time one visits.

Happy travels and many adventures along your journey.