National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows

The Story

The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville, Illinois, is one of the largest outdoor shrines in the United States, spreading across some 200 landscaped acres near St. Louis. It is served by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, a religious congregation devoted to preaching missions and to honoring Mary Immaculate. The title "Our Lady of the Snows" is among the oldest Marian titles in the Church. According to a beloved Roman tradition, a miraculous summer snowfall in the fourth century marked the site on the Esquiline Hill where the Basilica of St. Mary Major was to be built; the Church commemorates the dedication of that basilica on August 5. Devotion to Our Lady of the Snows was introduced in the American Midwest in 1941 by Father Paul Schulte, OMI, a missionary aviator known as the "flying priest of the Arctic," who entrusted his missions to Mary under this title. The Oblates began a novena in her honor in 1943, and the response was so great that the present shrine was founded in 1958. Today the shrine's grounds include an outdoor altar and amphitheater, a Lourdes grotto, a Way of the Cross, and many devotional areas that draw visitors throughout the year. It remains a place of quiet prayer, reconciliation, and family pilgrimage, with special celebrations around the August 5 feast and a popular "Way of Lights" Christmas display each Advent season.

Church Recognition

A national shrine operated by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate within the Diocese of Belleville; the title Our Lady of the Snows is tied to the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, whose dedication the Church commemorates on August 5.

Catholic Teaching

Expresses the Church's confidence in Mary's intercession and maternal care (CCC 971), inviting the faithful to entrust their needs, their sick, and their families to the Mother of God.

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Practical

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A 200-acre devotional campus near St. Louis.

Go Deeper

Explore the shrine's official website at https://snows.org, the history of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church on devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary (CCC 971).