Mariazell Pilgrimage 2017

Yesterday we made our annual pilgrimage to the Mariazell Basilica.  It is the most important pilgrimage destination in Austria and one of the most visited shrines in Europe.  In the church, a miraculous wooden image of the Virgin Mary is honored.

In previous years, the kids and I have only done the short first part of the hike - and then taken a bus to meet everyone else at the Basilica.  This year we walked the entire route!  It was 5 hours of hiking through the beautiful Nature Park and small towns - resting only for a short picnic lunch.  Brian took 22,000 steps (or so his Fitbit says) - so Ellie probably took close to 50,000!!  She walked the entire way - except for a small portion when Brian carried her.  Brian carried Francis on his back the whole way.  I carried Isaac and a backpack.  It was quite the hike!  We were happy to offer up many intentions along the way, and before the miraculous statue of Mary in Mariazell.

Below are this year's pictures!  (Click here to compare them to our family pictures from two years ago - Ellie in the same blue carrier Francis rode in this year; Isaac got up the upgraded Lille baby carrier though :)

Ready to start the hike

Wooden paths with no guard rails!

Our niece Katie just about to take the plunge into the water!

Half way through (just before walking up the HUGE hill)

Lunch break - the only time Isaac was awake

Daddy is strong!!

Hiking with our friends!

Picked up our stroller in Mariazell and headed to the Basilica

Mariazell Basilica

Quick stop for ice cream for the kids - they (at least Ellie!) earned it :)

Happy to make his first visit to Mariazell

The miraculous wooden statue of the Virgin Mary

The story of the statue goes: "On the evening of December 21, 1157, a Benedictine monk named Magnus was in a forest looking for a place to build a monastery. At one point, his path became blocked by a huge boulder that was too big to go over or around, so Magnus took a small wooden statue of the Virgin Mary he had in his knapsack, knelt in prayer, and asked the Virgin Mary for guidance.  Soon there was a great rumble and the rock split in two, allowing him to pass through. Magnus placed the statue reverently on a white branch and soon after, he and some of the local people built a small chapel to house the statue. Word of the miraculous statue of the Virgin quickly spread across the countryside, and the chapel had to be periodically expanded to accommodate the growing crowds. ... Inside, the miraculous statue is housed in the Lady Chapel or Chapel of Miracles, which stands directly over the place where Magnus established his monastic cell in 1157."

Great Mother of Austria, Pray for us!!