After more than two years of planning and construction, the new Our Lady of Fatima Shrine at Indian Lake is entering its final stages, with organizers announcing the project remains on schedule for an August dedication weekend.
Construction has been ongoing for months at the shrine site on St. Mary’s Point, 261 Chase Avenue in Russells Point, but the property remains closed to the public as crews complete the finishing touches.
Bill Quatman, president of the Lima-based American Society of Ephesus (ASE), said the shrine is expected to be ready for a public dedication on Friday, August 14, followed by the return of the annual Catholic Mass at the shrine on Saturday, August 15, the Feast of the Assumption.
The public dedication is scheduled for 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
Saturday’s celebration begins at 4 p.m. with a music hour and the Rosary, followed by Mass from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and a reception until 7:30 p.m.
Because parking is unavailable at the shrine, organizers will provide free shuttle service from St. Mary of the Woods Church, 434 Madison Avenue in Russells Point, to the shrine for both events.
Quatman said crews are wrapping up concrete work this week, with landscaping and sod installation beginning next week.
Several key features of the shrine are also arriving over the coming weeks.
Three bronze informational plaques are being installed July 1, while a new granite bench—replacing one destroyed in the March 2024 tornado—is scheduled to arrive July 2.
Three bronze statues depicting the Fatima children are expected to be installed July 8, followed by the placement of the new 20-foot fiberglass statue of the Virgin Mary on July 14 after it is blessed at St. Mary of the Woods Church.
Construction is being completed by Touchstone CPM, LLC of Lima, with the statues created by Urbana artist Mike Major.
Quatman is asking the public to remain patient while work continues.
“This is an active construction site, so we don’t want people coming until the dedication in August, when the grass has grown back and the site is open to the public,” he said. “Especially during the Independence Day holiday weekend, the entry gate will be locked. People are welcome to view the shrine from the water, but we ask that they not enter the property.”
The original shrine, dedicated in 1964, stood as one of the tallest statues of the Virgin Mary in the United States.
The 43-foot monument featured a rotating fiberglass statue atop a concrete pedestal with fountains, music, and lighting.
It was destroyed by the devastating March 2024 Indian Lake tornado, just months before a planned 60th anniversary celebration.
The new shrine will stand at the same overall height as the original but will feature a newly constructed stone base designed to honor the site’s history while ensuring its future for generations to come.
The American Society of Ephesus, a Lima-based nonprofit founded in 1955, has overseen the rebuilding effort since the day after the tornado, saying community input gathered through a statewide design competition helped shape the new memorial.
