La Salette Shrine

About the Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette

The Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette at Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, is a Marian shrine dedicated to the message of reconciliation that the Blessed Virgin Mary gave to two shepherd children near the village of La Salette in the French Alps on September 19, 1846. The grounds replicate the mountain apparition site, with outdoor seating for liturgies, a chapel, the Pilgrim Inn gathering hall, and a gift shop. The shrine was cared for by the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette (M.S.), the only men's religious community founded in direct response to a Marian apparition, and was a place of pilgrimage and prayer for the faithful of southeastern Wisconsin and beyond for 58 years.

History of the Twin Lakes Shrine

The Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette of the former Province of Milwaukee purchased the land — which had been registered in the Milwaukee land office as early as 1834 — in 1966 or 1967, with a partial donation from Mrs. Mashuda of Milwaukee, to create a shrine of reconciliation in southeastern Wisconsin. Construction on the facsimile of the La Salette apparition site began in 1979, the Shrine was completed in 1980, and it was dedicated that same year by Bishop Richard Skalba. In 2000, the Province of Milwaukee merged with three other provinces to form the Province of Mary, Mother of the Americas, based in Hartford, Connecticut. In 2018, pastoral care was entrusted to the Polish Province on an ad experimentum basis. In 2025, citing ongoing personnel shortages and a continuing decline in vocations, the Missionaries announced the shrine's closure effective October 1, 2025 and the formal process of selling the property.

• Land acquired: 1966–1967
• Construction began: 1979
• Shrine completed & dedicated: 1980 by Bishop Richard Skalba
• Province merger to Province of Mary, Mother of the Americas: 2000
• Polish Province takes pastoral care: 2018
• Closure announced: 2025, effective October 1

The La Salette Apparition (September 19, 1846)

According to the tradition recounted by the Missionaries of La Salette, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared weeping to two shepherd children, Maximin Giraud and Mélanie Calvat, on a mountainside near the village of La Salette in southeastern France on the afternoon of Saturday, September 19, 1846. The children were tending cattle and resting near Mount Gargas when they encountered a brilliant ball of light containing a Beautiful Lady 'weeping with her face in her hands.' She invited them closer, urging 'Do not be afraid,' spoke for nearly an hour about the spiritual condition of the people, the lack of room for God in their lives, the need for conversion, and the importance of prayer — and ended with the words, 'Well, my children, you will make this known to all my people.' Bishop Philibert de Bruillard of Grenoble authorized an investigation and, on September 19, 1851, affirmed the apparition's authenticity, authorized public worship, and ordered that a church be built on the site.

• Date: September 19, 1846 (Saturday afternoon)
• Location: La Salette, French Alps (Mt. Gargas area)
• Visionaries: Maximin Giraud and Mélanie Calvat
• Bishop of Grenoble: Philibert de Bruillard (1765–1860)
• Doctrinal statement affirming authenticity: September 19, 1851
• Six years later: basilica built on the site
• Three bronze statues marking the three phases of the apparition placed at the site: 1864

Monthly Devotions & Special Feasts

Distinctive La Salette devotions shaped the monthly rhythm of the shrine. The English-language Novena of Masses was prayed from the 11th through the 18th of each month (the novena precedes the morning Mass; on Sundays it is prayed a few minutes before Mass, and the 7:30 am Mass continues until 9:00 am). The Polish-language Nowenna was held every Wednesday evening, beginning with the 6:30 pm intention prayer followed by a 7:00 pm Mass with a homily on the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Divine Mercy Chaplet was prayed on Sundays at 3:00 pm.

• English Novena of Masses: 11th–18th of each month
• Polish Nowenna: Wednesdays, 6:30 pm intentions, 7:00 pm Mass
• Mass with Anointing of the Sick: 7:30 am on the 19th
• La Salette Solemnity: third Sunday of September (no Anointing that day)
• Divine Mercy Chaplet: Sundays at 3:00 pm

Days of Pilgrimage

Organized groups of at least 25 were invited to schedule a full Day of Pilgrimage. The suggested schedule began with arrival and welcome coffee at 10:00 am at the Pilgrim Inn, followed by a meditation/Adoration/Confession period in the chapel at 10:30 am, Mass at 11:00 am, lunch at noon, gift shop time at 1:00 pm, devotions (Rosary or Way of the Cross) at 2:30 pm, the 'Story of La Salette' video (18 minutes in English, 42 minutes in Polish) at 3:00 pm, a guided explanation of the shrine grounds at 3:45 pm, and a departure blessing at the bus at 4:30 pm. The day's program was flexible; the suggested donation per person was agreed upon depending on schedule and included a hot buffet lunch and arrival coffee. The pilgrimage gospel reflection centered on the La Salette theme of reconciliation.

• Suggested donation: per person, agreed in advance
• Minimum group size: 25
• Resources: Pilgrim Inn, chapel, gift shop, outdoor shrine grounds
• Featured video: 'Story of La Salette' (English 18 min / Polish 42 min)

The Outdoors and the Replica Apparition Site

The Twin Lakes grounds were designed to replicate the geography of the French Alps apparition site. Seating was arranged for outdoor liturgies, and the Mass on the shrine grounds was sometimes celebrated outdoors 'according to the weather.' A bronze statue of Our Lady of La Salette was installed on the grounds — a piece with a remarkable backstory, having once stood at the entrance of an old gold mine where miners customarily touched it as they passed, before being found in a San Francisco antique store and brought to Twin Lakes.

• Outdoor seating for outdoor Mass
• Replica of the La Salette alpine apparition site
• Bronze statue with a gold-mine / San Francisco provenance

Gift Shop & Visiting

The shrine gift shop sold religious articles and offered online ordering. During the week it maintained regular hours; it was closed on Sundays and Mondays unless a special group arrangement was made (groups could be accommodated with a 1:00 pm to 2:00–3:00 pm opening). The shrine grounds were open 7:00 am – 7:00 pm. The mailing address for orders and donations was 10330 – 336th Avenue, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin 53181, with checks payable to 'Missionaries of La Salette' and directed to the Shrine Director. NOTE: the shrine closed effective October 1, 2025; the property was being prepared for sale at the time of the announcement.

• Gift Shop phone: (262) 877-3373
• Email: [email protected]
• Mailing: P.O. Box 777, 10330 – 336th Ave., Twin Lakes, WI 53181
• Shrine open daily: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
• Group gift-shop opening by appointment on Sundays / Mondays

Donations and Mission Support

The Missionaries of La Salette welcomed online donations and check donations (payable to 'Missionaries of La Salette,' mailed to the Shrine Director at 10330 336th Avenue, Twin Lakes, WI 53181). Single Mass intentions, monthly Novena-of-Masses intentions, Masses offered during November for deceased family members, and special-occasion Novenas were all supported through the shrine, alongside donations supporting La Salette mission work abroad — including Ukrainian refugee relief coordinated by the Polish Province, which ministers in 47 places across 9 European countries and at Twin Lakes.

• Single Mass intentions
• Monthly Novena of Masses (11th–18th of each month)
• Special Novenas: St. Joseph (Mar 11–19), Mother's Day, Father's Day, Saints Joachim & Anna (Jul 18–26), St. Jude (Oct 20–28), Christmas (Dec 24–Jan 1)
• November Masses for deceased family members
• Support for Ukrainian refugees via the Polish Province

Clergy and Leadership

Pastoral care of the Twin Lakes shrine was entrusted to priests of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette (M.S.), specifically the Polish Province from 2018 onward. Fr. Andrew Zagorski, M.S., was the contact priest listed on the official schedule. Fr. William Kaliyadan, M.S., was the Provincial Superior of the Missionaries of La Salette in North America at the time of the 2025 closing announcement. Fr. Gerald A. Lebanowski, M.S. — a Milwaukee native, ordained 1959 in Rome, and former Provincial Superior (1985) and member of the General Council in Rome (1994) — was assigned to Twin Lakes in 2001 and remained until he later moved to the La Salette community in St. Louis, Missouri.

• Shrine contact priest: Fr. Andrew Zagorski, M.S.
• Provincial Superior (2025): Fr. William Kaliyadan, M.S.
• Past priest: Fr. Gerald A. Lebanowski, M.S. (assigned 2001)