Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, this 32-foot stainless steel sculpture is a reminder to visitors to work and pray daily for peace.
In August of 1980, Father John Sweeny, pastor of Our Lady of Peace Church in Santa Clara, California, fulfilled a long-time desire to give special honor to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. That month, he commissioned noted sculptor Charles C. Parks, a noted sculptor, of Wilmington, Delaware, to design a 32-foot stainless steel statue of Our Lady, under this title. Thus began a remarkable odyssey, of a truly extraordinary image of the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of God. After several models, the masterpiece was begun.
The statue which some have called “the awesome Madonna,” was finished in the Summer of 1982. It stands higher than most three-story buildings. The 7200-pound statue rises to a height of thirty-two feet and rests on a twelve-foot landscaped mound. The head, hands, and feet are cast in stainless steel. The gown is constructed of welded strips of stainless steel.
After completion in the artist’s Wilmington, Delaware, studio in 1982, the statue was exhibited in Wilmington, Philadelphia, and Chicago en route to its permanent location.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Peace was dedicated on October 7, 1983, by Most Reverend Pierre DuMaine, Bishop of San Jose. A hand-illuminated papal blessing was presented to the Shrine on that occasion.
The Shrine is the only major Marian Shrine on the West Coast; between Our Lady of Sorrows Shrine in Portland, Oregon, (over 700 miles to the north), and the famous Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, (over 2,300 miles to the south).
http://www.rc.net/sanjose/shrnolp/shrnolp.htm
Located at Our Lady of Peace Church
2800 Mission College Blvd.
Santa Clara, CA 95054
(408) 988-4585
Exit off the 101 Freeway at the Great America Parkway offramp and go North. Make a left at Mission College Blvd. Go around the traffic circle and turn out at Our Lady’s Way which takes you directly to the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace.
Category:Religion
Category:Art
