The American Society of Ephesus, Inc. and St. Mary of the Woods Parish are pleased to announce that the Feast of the Assumption Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary of the Woods Catholic Church this year.
The Mass, scheduled for Saturday, August 10, 2024, will begin at 6:00 p.m. with prelude music starting at 5:15 p.m.
The church is located at 464 Madison Ave., Russells Point, and offers free parking for attendees.
Historically, the Annual Mass has been held at the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine overlooking Indian Lake since 1964, except for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the shrine was severely damaged by a tornado on March 14, 2024.
“Due to the destruction, we must move the Mass to St. Mary of the Woods Church for the next two years,” said Bill Quatman, President of The American Society of Ephesus. Last year, high winds had already forced a temporary relocation of the Mass from the shrine to the church, a move that now appears to have been an early sign of the challenges ahead.
The shrine, which was a prominent religious landmark and one of the tallest statues of the Virgin Mary in the U.S., was originally dedicated in August 1964.
It featured a 43-foot tall monument with a 19-foot 6-inch fiberglass statue of Our Lady of Fatima on a concrete pedestal.
The planned 60th-anniversary celebration of the shrine will be postponed until its reconstruction, with hopes to complete the rebuilding by August 2026.
Father Shawn Landenwitch, pastor of St. Mary of the Woods, will lead the Mass.
The church will serve as a temporary venue for the celebration, while a design contest is underway for the new shrine.
For additional details, visit:
– American Society of Ephesus, Inc.
–St. Mary of the Woods Parish
