The House of Mary Shrine, located off Highway 52 across from Lewis and Clark Recreation Area, has expanded its offerings with several new additions which were completed earlier this year.

One of the major additions is a Holy Innocents Garden, which was completed this spring.

The Innocents Garden is dedicated to the memory of all children lost to miscarriage, abortion or other childhood death, and consists of a bronze statue of “Jesus and the Children” and a new “Rachel Weeping for Her Children” statue.

Another section of the garden has also been reserved for an addition in the future.

“We have this area so people can remember their lost children,” said Larry Hames, volunteer at the shrine. “Once a child dies, he or she goes to be with Jesus. On one of the statues, we have a symbol for an aborted or miscarried infant, as well.”

The “Rachel Weeping For Her Children” statue is a symbol of a Bible verse from Jeremiah 31:15.

“The statue is really a symbol for a mother who lost her children,” Hames said. “Rachel lost a child but realized God would be taking care of her child, so the symbol also represents life after death.”

In addition to the new statues, officials have also added a “Way of the Saints” area to the Shrine.

“The Saints area features 36 pillars, with a story of a saint on each,” Hames said. “About half of the pillars have been claimed so far, and people can make a donation if they want their favorite saint represented on a pillar.”

The shrine first began when a young Catholic couple bought property by the lake area in 1957. They showed the land to a chaplain from Mount Marty who told them not to sell any of the land for home sites; rather, they should save some of it to be “an edifice to God.”

In 1971, a dozen wooden crosses were carried up the hill by their donors, representing the Stations of the Cross. This was the beginning of the shrine as it is known today.

Now, masses are held at the shrine on Monday and Saturday evenings.

Hames said this has been the first major addition to the shrine since a new entrance was constructed a few years ago.

He added the shrine is all volunteer-based.

“Volunteers here talk to people coming through the shrine, and also do some of the landscaping,” he said.

Hames has been volunteering at the shrine since 1998 and said he has done “a little bit of everything” since he began volunteering there.

“I’ve helped to put together some of the new areas we have here and have helped to plan them out,” he said. “I wanted to do something to honor Mary, because I’ve had good experiences with her.”

Hames added that he hopes people that come to the shrine have a positive experience, too.

“For some people, this place can give them a sense of peace,” he said.

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For more information on the shrine, visit www.thehouseofmaryshrine.org.

You can follow Andrew Atwal on Twitter at twitter.com/andrewatwal