Marylake Shrine of Our Lady of Grace
400 Seat Shrine and Monastery
The Shrine and grounds are open at 8:30 am to 7:00 pm every day.
The main building which houses the community is built on three levels, from lake level upwards. There are entrances and exits on all levels. The building, including house and church is constructed of split field stone native to Marylake, and reinforced concrete and brick.
The shrine in winter. Click on the image for a larger view. Photo: Jonald Arcasitas
The Shrine Church has attracted wide attention because of the grandeur of design and the sheer poetry of its conception. It is the work of Mr. J. Stuart Cauley, back in 1964.
Marylake Shrine against a starry night sky. Click on the image for a larger view. Photo: Jonald Arcasitas
In 1964, the newly completed Shrine church with its 100 foot stained glass tower was recognized for the poetry of its conception and the quality of its acoustics. Click on the image for a larger view. Photo: Barry Wallace
The Shrine Church and Blessed Sacrament Chapel are both ellipsoidal in form. Irregular sized pieces of glass in multicolour shades, forms the bell tower, (extending one hundred feet high, two hundred feet from lake level, about five stories high) andspectacularly encloses the all-purpose circular sanctuary, bathing it with multicoloured light.
The Virgin Mary inside the monastery. Click on the image for a larger view. Photo: Barry Wallace
The bell tower itself, like a huge crown sits atop the church. The bell was cast in bronze in Troy, New York, weighs 2,500 pounds and sounds the musical tone "E" above middle "C," and is activated automatically by a programmed time clock.
The new Shrine with a World-class Acoustic System for Sermons, Mass, Choirs, Concerts and Conferences
Refurbished in 2016. Click on the image for a larger view. Photo: Chris Lim
Photo of the Shrine at the top of this page: Peter Bok
The sound system in the church was set up with the aid of an oscilloscope, assuring quality of voice without distortion. The acoustics in the church are superb, so much so that during the course of a year both professional and amateur groups of musicians use the church for rehearsals and performances.
The Blessed Sacrament Chapel is located on the east side of the church. It is here that the community celebrate daily the liturgies of the mass and hours. The tabernacle of the Blessed Sacrament weighs two and a half tons, is of travertine marble and was sculpted by Mr. Earl Neiman, who also fashioned the celebrants chair and lectern in the same material. His wife, Maria, executed the bronze crucifix candleholders and sanctuary lamp, as well as the terra-cotta stations of the cross. The fifteenth station "The Resurrection" is an innovative concept.
There is no other shrine like the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace at Marylake.