Holy Hill Shrine has a national character and is dedicated to Mary, Help of Christians. It is in Hubertus, Wisconsin, USA, on a mountain 410 meters above sea level and it has a vast area of woods surrounding it.
The first resident on this hill was a hermit named François Soubrio, who arrived at the site in the mid-19th century. There he found an ancient journal and a French map both dated 1676 and mentioning a cone-shaped mountain in Wisconsin. The journal narrated how it’s author erected there a stone altar, raised a cross, and dedicated the hill to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This region owes its name to Friar George Strickner, since his first official sermon. On this same site he also dedicated a wooden chapel to the Virgin Mary, Help of Christians, in a place that the Irish settlers called "Holy Hill". The construction of the Marian shrine as we know it today, began in 1879 and was completed in 1931.
Due to the increasing number of pilgrims, the local Church decided to entrust the administration of the shrine to a religious Order or Congregation of Marian spirituality, and the invitation was addressed to the Order of Discalced Carmelites. On June 26, 1906, the first friars came from Bavaria at the invitation of Archbishop Sebastian Messmer, and they undertook the care of this Shrine of the Virgin Mary to this day.
The basilica, built in the Neo-Romanesque style, is composed of various elements that refer to the Carmelite spirituality. At the entrance there are two eight-meter-high statues representing St. Mary, Help of Christians, and St. Joseph, protector of the Carmelites. Its interior was specially designed to convey an atmosphere of recollection and devotion, featuring mosaics that refer to the founders of the Discalced Carmelites, Saint Teresa of Jesus and Saint John of the Cross. In addition to the Chapel of the Sanctuary, a smaller chapel was dedicated to Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus, in 1928.
Currently, about half a million pilgrims visit the shrine every year, coming from all over the world. It offers daily Eucharists, the sacrament of reconciliation, prayer of the rosary, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and other activities. The place is also known for the collection of crutches left by pilgrims who report healings attributed to the intercession of Our Lady Help of Christians.
Thus, Holy Hill Shrine offers a space for prayer, spirituality, reconciliation and encounter with God, serving as "a beacon of hope", away from the noise of the modern world, while being also a lively center of Carmelite spirituality. For further information, please contact: https://www.holyhill.com