As noted in my first post, two of my interests are architecture and religion. That combination attracted me to the Holy Family Shrine (holyfamilyshrine.com), which is located just off Interstate 80 south of Gretna, Nebraska (between Omaha and Lincoln). Daylilies are prominent now – along the walkway that leads from the visitor center to the chapel. The colors change as the seasons change.  

On most of the odd Thursdays of each month, during the afternoons, you can find me at the shrine, greeting visitors and manning the cash register in the visitor center. I am still attracted to the beauty and peacefulness of the shrine and God’s presence. The covers of all four of my “A Catholic Prays Scripture” books feature pictures of the shrine.  

At about the same time, in 1993, four people were inspired, each in different ways and in different places, to build this chapel for travelers of the road and of the spirit. One of those four, a woman, wife and mother, was inspired after a visit to the Cooper Chapel in Arkansas. Her husband, John, also played a major role in the construction and operation of the shrine. You won’t find the names of any of the founders in the shrine’s visitor center; the shrine was never about them. The woman passed away several years ago. Earlier today I attended John's funeral. The gospel reading was John 6:51-58. What a legacy they collectively left us.