The Black Madonna

Tucked back in the quiet La Barque Creek valley in rural Jefferson County, Missouri, is a shrine...a shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Czestochowa and, at the same time, a memorial to the life-long work of one Franciscan missionary.  The Black Madonna Shrine and Grottos is an example of what one man with faith and artistic vision can create.

Our Lady of Czestochowa, the Black Madonna

Sign at the entrance to the Black Madonna Shrine

The history of Our Lady of Czestochowa (chen-sta-ho'-va) goes back 2,000 years.  Legend has it that St. Luke, one of the four writers of the Gospel, painted a picture of the Virgin Mary on the top of a cypress wood table owned by the Holy Family.  It was venerated for centuries and was later associated with Constantine the Great, the first Christian Emperor of Rome.  Eventually, it was brought to Kiev, Russia, where it remained for 579 years. In 1382, for safekeeping, the painting was entrusted to the Basilian Monks of the Greek Rite near the village of Czestochowa.  A few years later, it was given to the Latin Rite Hermits of St. Paul, who are still in Czestochowa today.  The painting has a tumultuous history associated with warring rulers and countries as well as miraculous events. 

St. Luke painted Mary with olive skin, which is in keeping with her Middle Eastern heritage.  (It was not until the Renaissance, centuries later, that the Blessed Virgin was portrayed with fair skin and blue eyes.) A fire destroyed the chapel in Constantinople where the portrait once hung. Miraculously, the painting and a small section of the wall on which it hung were spared, but the soot and intense heat further darkened the faces of Mary and Jesus, and the painting became popularly known as the Black Madonna.  

This copy of the portrait of the Black Madonna was commissioned
to replace the one that was destroyed in the chapel fire.  It arrived
only weeks before Brother Bronislaus' death.  Another copy of the
painting can be found in the Pope's private chapel in the Vatican

In 1927, Cardinal Glennon, the Archbishop of St. Louis, invited a group of Franciscan Missionary Brothers to emigrate from Poland to establish a nursing home for men.  One of the Brothers who came to this rural area near Eureka was Brother Bronislaus Luszcz, OSF. 

Brother Bronislaus Luszcz, OSF

As a young man in Poland, Bronislaus witnessed many pilgrims pass through his village to visit the monastery in the town of Czestochowa to pay homage to Our Lady of Czestochowa, the Black Madonna.  Brother Bronislous was touched by the faithfulness of these people and wished to share their faith and devotion with others in his adopted land. While most of the Brothers cared for the men in the nursing home, Brother Bronislaus was assigned the job of caring for the grounds...landscaping, planting flowers and shrubs. He went a step further and created a grotto - or rather a series of grottos - in honor of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Czestochowa, the Black Madonna.  The grottos were a labor of love and faith created with no assistance from others and without the use of power tools. The Black Madonna Shrine and Grottos are the tangible expression of one man's faith and devotion.

Brother Bronislaus began his work in 1937 by clearing a section of woods, building a beautiful cedar chapel and placing a painting of Our Lady above the altar.  He then began working on the grottos themselves.  The first grotto that Brother Bronislaus built is known as Our Lady of Sorrows Grotto.  A perfectionist, Brother Bronislaus worked on this grotto for years, tearing it down and rebuilding it several times.

The Our Lady of Sorrows Grotto, the first one that Brother Bronislaus built.
He tore it down and rebuilt it several times.  A "grotto" is defined as "a
cave or an artificial recess or structure made to resemble a natural cave"

The original cedar chapel that Brother Bronislaus built.
It was destroyed in 1958 by a fire set by an arsonist.

These are the final bells ever struck by the Stuckstede Bell Foundry of St. Louis.
They are sitting on the foundation of the original bell tower from the wooden
chapel. The bell tower survived the fire, but was later demolished due to decay.

In the mid-1960's, an outdoor, covered chapel was built to replace the
burned wooden chapel. The mosaic wall behind the altar was created
by Frederic Henze in memory of his friend, Brother Bronislaus.

Close-up of the altar and portrait of the Black Madonna.

Brother Bronislaus used discarded bits and pieces in his creations. He ingeniously crafted flowers and flower pots from electrical fixtures that had been tossed aside. He utilized costume jewelry and sea shells that were donated. He saw beauty and usefulness where others saw only refuse to be thrown out.  Flowers were also made by pouring concrete in cupcake pans.  Jello molds became flower pots.

The green-tinted foot of this flower pot is an
up-side-down Jello mold. The flowers themselves
are made of concrete poured into cupcake pans

Bits of costume jewelry, buttons, and sea shells are used to
decorate the grottos

Bits of colored glass set into the recesses behind intricately
hand-made decorative stone scrollwork provides
illumination when the sun shines on the grottos

Brother Bronislaus created 3-D effects in many of the grottos. The stone is native Missouri
Tiff rock (geological name Barite) mined at Potosi, some 30 miles south of the site

Costume jewelry, religious medals, and buttons, or whatever else
he could find, all became part of Brother Bronislaus' materials

Brother Bronislaus continued working on the grottos until the day he died.  On August 12, 1960, already weakened from a bout of Asian Flu, he was overcome by the summer heat.  Members of his order knew something was wrong when he failed to return for evening prayers.  A search ensued, and his body was discovered in front of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Grotto.

Grotto of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, where Brother Bronislaus
died on August 12, 1960.

These intricately hand-made kneelers, where visitors can
pause to pray, are located in front of several of the grottos

The Assumption Grotto

The Garden of Gethsemane Grotto, with the Crucifixion Overlook on the ridge above it

The Nativity Grotto,the only "natural" grotto, or cave, on the site

The St. Francis Grotto, in honor of the founder of the Franciscan Order, St. Francis of Assisi

These rabbits on the St. Francis Grotto were made from concrete poured into cake molds 

The St. Joseph Grotto.  Note, again, the intricate stone scroll work.

A bridge on the path as you enter the area of the grottos, with hand-made stone railings

A plaque in recognition of Charles Bendel, the sculptor
who created the statues used in the grottos

Constructed over a 10-year period, the Life Memorial is a tribute to LIFE.
The cross is the original one made by Brother Bronislaus for the Crucifixion
Overlook. The stones at the base are from the original monastery
that the Brothers lived in when they arrived in Eureka in 1927.

Cornerstone from the original monastery building. When the Brothers arrived in 1927
they rebuilt and moved into an old abandoned Sisters of Mercy convent on the.
property that had apparently been built, according to its cornerstone, in the 1880's. 

One of the Stations of the Cross, and a portion of the wall that
defined the original grotto area. On that path, you can just
see the railings of the bridge shown in a previous photo.

In the late 1960's, a drunk driver lost control of his car and
hit the wall, destroying a portion of it.  It was never rebuilt. 

The Black Madonna Shrine is part of a 200 hundred acre Franciscan Mission. The Saint Joseph's Hill Infirmary closed in 2008. The Infirmary, the monastery, and out buildings are not open to the public.  The grounds and buildings are used for retreats for religious orders from not only the St. Louis area, but around the country.  Mass is offered most Sundays at Sacred Heart Chapel.

 The St. Joseph's Hill Infirmary building, now closed.  Mike's uncle, John,
was a patient here at the time of his death in 1985. 

The rooms with lots of windows for natural lighting in the pentagon-shaped section
at the end of the building were day rooms or lounges for the patients on each floor.

Cornerstone of St. Joseph's Hill Infirmary.  The building does not
look 70 years old. We wonder if this cornerstone was from an
older building that was replaced by this one?

Residential buildings of Our Lady of Angels Monastery behind the Infirmary building.

This is the only remaining original building that was on the property when the
Franciscan Missionary Brothers arrived in 1927. It probably dates back to the 1880's

The Black Madonna Grotto receives no financial support from any parish or diocese. Its upkeep is dependent on contributions made by visitors and friends.

The Black Madonna Shrine and Grottos is open daily...phone (636) 938-5361 to verify operating hours.  The address is 100 St. Joseph Hill Road, Pacific, MO 63069.   For more information, visit this web site

http://www.franciscancaring.org/blackmadonnashri.html

An overview of several of the grottos.

Another view of several more grottos

On a trip to Wisconsin to visit her cousin several years ago, Yvonne stopped to visit the Holy Ghost Grotto in Dickeyville, WI, constructed between 1925 and 1931 by Father Mathias Wernerus.  Then, not quite two years ago, while traveling through Alabama, we happened upon the Ave Maria Grotto in the town of Cullman, the life-long work of Brother Joseph Zoettl.  We wrote about our visit to the Ave Maria Grotto in a blog entitled Ora et Labora in May of 2014.

http://ramblings-and-rumblings.blogspot.com/2014/05/ora-et-labora.html

This statue of a boy holding his dog on his lap
was one of Brother Bronislaus' favorites.

In a small town half-way between Huntsville and Birmingham or in a remote valley in northwest Jefferson County, you can never tell where you will find your Road Stories.

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan Order

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

"And Now, the Rest of the Journey..."

In two previous blogs ("...Great Faces and Great Places" and "2.1Million Years in the Making") we wrote about the early stops on our Great Westward Ho! Adventure, and about the things we saw and did in Yellowstone National Park, with its amazing hydro-thermal features.  On the morning after Labor Day, we headed out the south gate of Yellowstone toward the rugged, ragged grandeur of the Tetons. Grand Teton National Park was established in 1929 and, through the philanthropy of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. extensively expanded in 1950.

The view of Grand Teton as you drive through Jackson Hole on the way to
the town of Jackson.  "Hole" is a 19th century term which describes the
natural bowl formed when volcanoes in the area erupted

Each corner of the park in the city square has an entrance "arch" made from
elk and deer antlers, collected in the surrounding country by the Boy Scouts

Welcome to "The Million Dollar Cowboy Steakhouse" and Bar

Our campsite at the Virginian Lodge and RV Park in Jackson, WY

Chapel of the Transfiguration in Grand Teton National Park

Sitting in the chapel, looking out the picture window behind the alter,
provides a spectacular view of God's grandeur

The Teton Range from the Chapel of the Transfiguration

One of two stained glass windows, one on each side of the vestibule, as you
enter the chapel.  The other side says "O Ye Spring and Fall Bless Ye the Lord"

Part of the restored home and store at Menor's Ferry, Bill Menor was the first settler on
the west side of the Snake River.  In 1894 he established a cable ferry to cross the river,
charging 50 cents for a team and 25 cents for a horse and rider

On a walk to the Murie Ranch in Grand Teton National Park, a base for
conservation leaders. The Muries' conservation work culminated in
the passage of the 1964 Wilderness Act, 

Lake Jenny, formed 12,000 years ago by the movement of glaciers,
is estimated to be 423 feet at its deepest spot, and covers some 1,190 acres

We had a picnic near Lake Jenny one day...Yvonne's "friend" joined us

Teton Glacier.  Grand Teton is the peak on the left, and Mount Owen is on the right

Under the arch, at one entrance to the town square park in Jackson

A large herd of bison graze near the highway in Jackson Hole

The National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, featured a traveling exhibit
of heads of the Zodiac animals. Mike was born in the year of the Ox.  People
born under this sign are known for strength, determination and dependability.

Yvonne was born in the year of the Dragon.  People born under the sign of
the Dragon are intelligent, ambitious and hardworking.  The sculptures by
artist Al Weiwei were exhibited at the museum from May 9 to Oct. 11, 2015

A coyote stalking prey in the brush in Grand Teton National Park.  The
animal is so large that it could be mistaken for a wolf, but it is a coyote.

Like the Pony Express, the wagon trains bound for Oregon, and the Mormon migration, our travels took us through the heart of Wyoming and a two-night stop in Casper at an RV park within sight of the reconstructed Fort Caspar.  (Yes, the fort is spelled differently than the town.  The fort was named for Lt. Caspar Collins; the name of the town which grew around it was a misspelling of Lt. Collins' first name.)  Prior to being designated as a fort, the first permanent occupation was in 1859 when Louis Guinard built a bridge over the Platte River and a trading post beside it.  The settlement became  a military post in 1862. In 1865 the name was changed from Platte Bridge Station to Fort Caspar. The Fort was closed in 1867 and fell into disrepair, but was rebuilt by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930's.

Fort Caspar, Wyoming, named for Lt. Caspar Collins. This fort might have been called
Fort Collins, but there was already a Fort Collins in Colorado, named in honor of
Col. William Collins, the father of Lt. Caspar Collins

Lt. Caspar Collins was killed during the 1865 Battle of the Platte Bridge Station
against the Lakota and Cheyenne, when he was shot in the forehead with an arrow.

Fort Caspar, originally named Platte Bridge Station, was staffed in 1862 by the 11th Ohio
Volunteer Cavalry whose mission was to maintain the transcontinental telegraph and
provide for the safety of those traveling the various overland trails

Officers' quarters, Fort Caspar, Wyoming

The blacksmith shop at Fort Caspar

When the first Morman wagon train on the way to Utah reached the North Platte River,
Brigham Young ordered the construction of a ferry, like the one pictured above, to take the
wagons across the river.  It was two dugout canoes lashed together, with planking laid on top

The Tumble Inn, somewhere south of Casper, WY, ought to be renamed the
"Tumble Down Inn"

The front range of the Rockies used to be a series of individual towns and small cities from Fort Carson south to Pueblo.  While retaining their names and municipal boundaries, the front range is almost one continuous city, and Interstate 25 is a very heavily traveled highway.  A two-night stay in Wellington, near Ft. Collins, gave us access to the town of Estes Park and to Rocky Mountain National Park, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2015 - and gave us another stamp in our National Park Passport book.

We observed a herd of elk in Rocky Mountain National Park. Two males were challenging
each other for dominance.  Eventually, one drove the other away. We never actually
saw them fight, but they came very close to it a number of times.

Our trek took us south on I-25 to Colorado Springs where our base - thanks to our retired Air Force friend, Ralph - was the family campground ("fam camp") at the Air Force Academy.  From there we enjoyed excursions to Garden of the Gods, Seven Falls and Manitou Springs/ Pike's Peak. There were also day trips to Cripple Creek and the Royal Gorge.

Our camp site at Peregrine Pines, the campground at the
Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs

The Chapel at the Air Force Academy is an inspiring sight

This is the Catholic Chapel in the lower level of the building.  The Protestant
Chapel is on the upper level, but we couldn't go inside because there was
a wedding taking place in the Protestant Chapel the day we were there.

Entrance to the Garden of the Gods, taken from the Visitor's Center across the highway.
The area was originally called Red Rock Coral, for obvious reasons.

Some of the rock formations in the Garden of the Gods.  Garden of the Gods was designated
a National Natural Landmark in 1971.  While many think it is a national park, it is
actually owned by the City of Colorado Springs, and is part of the city's Park Department.

Seven Falls cascades down 181 feet in seven distinct steps,
down a cliff of naturally-carved Pike's Peak granite

On an observation platform overlooking Seven Falls.  An elevator installed in
a shaft drilled inside a mountain takes visitors up to the overlook

Despite his fear of  heights, Mike nonetheless took Ralph's dare and walked down
the steps rather than ride the elevator back down.  Ralph walked down, too.

The main street of Cripple Creek, CO, a town known for gold mining and  gambling.
In 1890, Bob Womack discovered a rich ore deposit here, and the last great Colorado
gold rush began.  The town was named a National Historic District in 1961.

The highway bridge across the Royal Gorge near Canon City, CO, is now closed to most
vehicle traffic, but open to pedestrians and small shuttle vans.  The cable car still crosses
back and forth when the wind isn't too strong,

The Cog Railway, ascending Pikes Peak from
Manitou Springs, began operating in 1891

View to the southwest, toward Cripple Creek, as the train climbs Pike's Peak. The
terraced mountain is an actual working gold mine that is still producing ore.

This shows the center cog rail. Cogs on the bottom of the trains engage this rail and
literally pull the trains up the mountain. The steepest grade on the railroad is 29
degrees. Compare that with a "steep grade" on a highway, that may be 8-10 degrees.

Cog Railway train waiting for passengers at the top of Pike's Peak. Note the
barricade at the left front of the train, right at the edge of the mountain.
Denver is in front of the train, Colorado Springs is off to the right of the train

Of course, you have to get your picture taken a the Summit. Years ago,
we drove our car to the top of Pike's Peak.  The hour-and-a-half ascent
on the Cog Railway is much less nerve-wracking

Miramont Castle, built in 1895 as a residence for Father Jean Baptiste Francolon, a
missionary priest in Manitou, and his mother, a wealthy French woman.
The 14,000 square foot, 30-room castle incorporates nine distinct styles of architecture.
The Francolons left Colorado for France in 1900 and never returned

Miramont was vacant from 1900 to 1904, when the Sisters of Mercy purchased it.  Following a
1907 fire at their sanitarium in Manitou, the Sisters moved  patients into the mansion. This TB
patient room was in a small cottage behind the mansion. The sanitarium ceased operation in 1928.

After a little more than a month on the road, we turned east toward home.  An overnight stop in Oakley, Kansas included a visit to the Buffalo Bill Cultural Center and Museum.  Bill Cody and the other "Buffalo Bill", William Comstock (and many other hunters) almost ended the great bison herds, and this stop seemed a fitting end to our Great Westward Ho! Adventure.

William Cody supplied meat to the crews building the transcontinental railroad. It is
reported that he claimed the name "Buffalo Bill" in a one-day contest with William
"Buffalo Bill" Comstock, by bringing down 69 buffalo to Comstock's 46 kills 

The statue of Buffalo Bill Cody bringing down a bison at the
museum in Oakley, KS is two-and-a-half times life size.  As a
point of comparison, Mike is six feet tall.

The desolation of the Badlands, the unique artistry of Mt. Rushmore, the sobering visit to Little Bighorn, the incredible natural features of Yellowstone, the rugged grandeur of the Tetons and  Jackson Hole, and the majesty of the Rockies...it was an incredible five-week journey, filled with spectacular sights and wonderful memories. 

Yvonne looked throughout the trip for a pair of turquoise boots.  She found these in a
store in Canon City, Colorado.  But she also found the Tony Lama "roper" boots
embroidered with roses...just too darn cute to pass up, so she bought both pairs.

We can't wait to pull on our boots and head out again in search of more Road Stories.