July 23 marks 75 years of operation for the Shrine of St. Joseph of the Mountains in Yarnell, which will mark the occasion with an ecumenical service on Saturday, July 19 at 1 p.m.
In 1934, a small group of men and women organized as the Catholic Action League of Arizona to carry on works of spiritual and corporal mercy, regardless of race or creed.
They selected a boulder-strewn sanctuary a half-mile from State Route 89 in Yarnell as the site of the Shrine. There, a wild growth of oak and natural boulder grottos form a natural setting for the theme of the Shrine: The Way of the Cross.
Work was started in 1938 with League members and other volunteers interested in the project contributing much of the labor.
In the search for a sculptor to build the statuary for the 14 Stations of the Cross—the story of the suffering and the death of Jesus—the League found Felix Lucero, a dishwasher in a Tucson café. He was known for building beautiful sand statues in Arizona riverbeds.
The League hired Mr. Lucero to build the statuary, which he sculpted from reinforced concrete, painted in deep ivory. Work was completed and the Shrine opened to the public in 1939.
The Shrine will celebrate it’s 75th anniversary with an ecumenical service on July 19.
The words of an inscription at the Shrine summarize the motives behind it: The Shrine of St. Joseph of the Mountains was built as an appeal to Americans to promote the spirit of peace in their homes, with an unwavering loyalty toward our beloved America.
St. Joseph is the Patron of happy homes, model of the laborer and comforter of the afflicted.
The House of Joseph, a retreat center available to all religious organizations, was damaged by the Yarnell Hill Fire. The retreat center lost three of its five buildings.
Rebuilding of the lost retreat buildings will begin in late July, if all goes as planned. Four more buildings were lost at the Shrine: the house that held the gift shop, a workshop and two storage buildings.
There have been many volunteers helping restore the Shrine since the fire but many more will be needed over time. The Shrine is maintained and continues to improve solely with the help of tax-deductible donations from the public and volunteers. Those who wish to donate can mail their offering to: The Shrine of St. Joseph of the Mountains, P.O. Box 267, Yarnell, 85362. For more information, visit www.stjoseph-shrine.org.
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