Holy Family shrine to emphasize family love

Holy Family shrine to emphasize family love SUBMITTED ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2010

Archbishop Robert J. Carlson will dedicate a new shrine to the Holy Family at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, at the Cedar Lake Shrine, Family Center and Conference Center in Wentzville. The organizers' objective "was to show the tenderness and love between Joseph and Mary — sacrificial love between spouses," Janet Quinlan of St. Clement of Rome Parish in Des Peres noted in an e-mail message about the shrine. The life-size bronze sculpture of Jesus, Mary and Joseph was designed by local sculptor Cynthia Hitschler. It depicts not only the "God made flesh," but reflects the real human love that exists between Joseph and Mary as husband and wife, especially important during an age when the family is under attack by society, according to a statement about the shrine.

The mission of Cedar Lake is to help individuals and families grow in Christian love, human virtues and family life as modeled by the Holy Family. With the shrine completed, a second phase will consist of a family center, with a purpose of helping (people) to discover God in their ordinary activities, grow in virtue and enrich their family life through classes, workshops, days/evenings of recollection and club activities for boys and girls.The conference/retreat center will be included in a third phase.

Spiritual formation at Cedar Lake is entrusted to Opus Dei, a Catholic apostolate founded by St. Josemaria Escriva. Its mission is to spread the message that work and the circumstances of everyday life are occasions for growing closer to God, serving others and improving society. Cedar Lake is on 37 acres, with a 2-acre lake at the center of the property. The statue shows Jesus as a young boy returning from a day's work with Joseph and presenting a gift to his mother. "Greeting one another with a look of love and respect, Mary and Joseph are shown as young parents who are deeply aware of their mission to carry out God's plan of salvation, seeking to raise their son in a home filled with virtue, love and self sacrifice," Quinlan noted. "The scene of the Holy Family is meant to inspire each of us to imitate these 'ordinary' people, creating bright and cheerful homes, as we strive to correspond to God's will for our lives."

The planned family center will seek to provide help to married couples in developing a deeper and more personal love for one another and to raise their children to be exemplary members of society and authentic Christian men and women who truly love God and others, Quinlan added. Plans call for a living-room area, kitchen, classrooms, library and chapel in the family center and another chapel in the conference center. For more information, call Janet Quinlan (314) 707-4709.