Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle National Shrine

Last Sunday my friend George took me to see the Bacilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle National Shrine.

The 3500 seat Shrine is enormous and beautifully designed. Inside is a replica of the small statue of the Immaculate Conception of San Juan de los Lagos, Jalisco, Mexico. As we were on Winter Texan time, we realized too late that it was Sunday. As the people inside were having Mass we did not enter. However, on the back side of the shrine there is a mural of Jesus and "Òur Lady of San Juan del Valle ". This mural is the height of the church and I realize now that I should have taken a picture of the entire wall in order to get a better idea of the size.

 The shrine is surrounded by acres of grounds. Around the perimeter of the grounds are the  12 Stations of the Cross. We walked them  from start to finish. The sculptures were very life like.

Below are a few of the stations.

Jesus is condenmed to death.

Jesus consoles the women

Although I am not  Catholic, I do honor all paths to God and I like to explore other belief systems as a way of  gaining a greater understanding of other religions and the people who practice them.

Thousands of pilgrims come to this place every year. After spending several hours there I can understand why. The whole place has a special/spiritual  feeling to it that I struggle to  find the words to describe. It is a very peaceful place.

Keep warm.