Feast of Our Lady of Częstochowa at the Black Madonna Shrine

Following a Roadside Sign

Feast of Our Lady of Częstochowa — August 26, 2026

My relationship with the Black Madonna Shrine began about six years ago, while driving along a rural Missouri road. I noticed a sign pointing toward a place I had never heard of: the Black Madonna Shrine and Grottos. Curious, I followed it.

What I found at the end of that winding road was extraordinary. Tucked into the wooded hills outside Pacific, Missouri, was a place of remarkable serenity and beauty: handmade stone grottos rising from the landscape, forest paths winding through the property, places for prayer and contemplation, and a quiet presence that engulfed me.

"What began for me with a roadside sign has grown into a book, a series of pilgrimages, and a widening circle of people who want to experience sacred places together."

More Than 100 Gather for the Shrine’s Feast Day

More than 100 people in total came to the Shrine that morning to celebrate the feast day. Among them were several Sisters of the Good Shepherd from Mason Pointe assisted living facility, accompanied by three members of the Good Shepherd staff who transported the Sisters to the Shrine. This was especially joyful for me, as I worked for the Sisters of the Good Shepherd for twelve years before retiring a year ago.

Watching people arrive and greet one another, I was struck by what has become one of the great gifts of these pilgrimages. We began as strangers eight months ago, arriving independently at a destination few people knew about. But something happens when we gather around a sacred place. We become a community.

The pilgrimages have also become a kind of homecoming, where friends share faith together, pray together, and enjoy fellowship before and after each Mass.

Fr. Michael Laugeman Celebrates Mass

The pilgrimage carried several beautiful stories. The Sisters’ presence was one. Fr. Michael Laugeman, a newly ordained priest and a good friend of Shrine Executive Director Joseph Lux, came to celebrate Mass.

The chalice he used had been given to him by the Black Madonna Shrine. The vestment he wore was another ordination gift. There was something deeply moving about seeing these gifts in use rather than sitting as commemorative objects. They had been given for ministry, and now they were serving their purpose at the Shrine of the Blessed Mother for whom this place was created.

Joseph and Fr. Michael share a friendship that began when Joseph was studying for the priesthood in seminary before his life took a different turn. During the Mass, Joseph proclaimed the readings. Later, he stood at the back of the open-air chapel and sang during parts of the liturgy. Two friends celebrating the feast day together; that was pretty special.

The Franciscan Heritage

To understand the Black Madonna Shrine, it is important to understand that the grottos, the icons of Our Lady of Częstochowa, and the open-air chapel are only part of the story. The deeper story is Franciscan.

The Shrine was established by the Franciscan Missionary Brothers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus nearly 100 years ago, and that Franciscan spirit remains central to the identity of the place. Five Franciscan Brothers from Poland came to Pacific at the invitation of Archbishop John Glennon to minister to homeless and aging men whose lives had been affected by the economic decline of rural Missouri following World War I.

They created something spellbinding in the forests of Pacific, establishing a place where they could encounter God through simplicity, creation, humility, beauty, and service.

Preserving the Historic Grottos

The beauty of what we experience here also carries a responsibility. In 2027, the Black Madonna Shrine will mark 100 years of its presence in Pacific, Missouri. During that century, the Shrine’s grottos have stood outdoors, exposed to Missouri weather 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Rain, snow, ice, heat, freezing temperatures, soil erosion, and the passage of time have inevitably taken their toll.

The grottos need to be preserved. In nearly a century, there has never been a comprehensive fundraising campaign devoted to preserving them, but that is about to change as the Shrine prepares to launch a capital campaign.