Shrine to Mary, Mother of the Word

The shrine to Mary, Mother of the Word, is located on the St. Francis Borgia-North parish grounds. It is open for individual private prayer at any time. It has been used for rosary devotions, for Eucharistic processions to the shrine on the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, for May crownings of the Statue of Mary, and other prayer services. As a chapel of the parish’s church, the shrine has also been used occasionally for weddings.

History of the Shrine - In 1999, the two parish councils accepted the generous gift of parishioner Tom Kacmarcik and his family to build a shrine to Mary on the Divine Word parish grounds. This was to be a memorial to Tom’s wife Josephine. Tom died before the shrine was completed. The shrine was dedicated as Mary, Mother of the Word by Archbishop Weakland in September 2000, as a memorial to both Tom and Josephine Kacmarcik.

Newsletter Article: Dedication of Shrine at Divine Word (Fall 2000)