About Our Lady of La Salette · Enfield, New Hampshire
The Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in Enfield, New Hampshire, was a 28-acre Catholic shrine and retreat center on the shores of Lake Mascoma, operated by the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette (M.S.) from 1927 until its closure on September 30, 2023. Its central devotion was the reconciliation message of the Blessed Virgin Mary's 1846 apparition to two shepherd children at La Salette, France, and it was best known regionally for its hillside Rosary Walk, Stations of the Cross, the Garden of the Apparition with its Weeping Mother statue, and the massive Festival of Lights Christmas display that ran every December from 1954. After nearly a century the property — including five former Shaker North Family buildings and two La Salette structures — was purchased for $1.5 million by the neighboring Enfield Shaker Museum through its $3 million 'Together Again' campaign.
- Established
- 1927
- Patron
- Our Lady of La Salette (the Weeping Mother / Reconciler)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Manchester
Why belong here
La Salette of Enfield was a 'Center for Reconciliation' — a working shrine, not just a parish — where pilgrims came for daily Mass, the sacrament of confession, the Rosary Walk, the outdoor Stations of the Cross and the Weeping Mother statue at the replica of the 1846 apparition site. Its character was contemplative and missionary: rustic Shaker-era buildings overlooking Lake Mascoma, an international Nativity exhibit in the A-frame Reconciliation Chapel, summer Sunday devotions, an annual Triduum on the September 19 feast day, and the nationally known Festival of Lights each December. Visitors were drawn to its quiet beauty ('Chosen Vale'), its message of reconciliation between God and neighbor, and its genuine welcome from the La Salette Missionaries and the La Salette Associates lay community.
Mass times at Our Lady of La Salette
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 45 minutes before the weekend Mass
- By appointment — call 603-632-7087 to see if a priest is available
- Special Divine Mercy Sunday Confession schedule (e.g., 12:30–2:00 p.m. before the 2:00 p.m. Mass)
Adoration times
- Sunday afternoon devotions (Rosary, Adoration) at 1:00 p.m. through September 14 (per 2014 program)
History: From 'Chosen Vale' Shaker Village to La Salette Shrine
The shrine's story is really two intertwined religious histories. The Enfield Shakers settled on the western shore of Lake Mascoma in 1793, naming their land 'Chosen Vale.' By 1850 the community numbered some 350 members across about 3,000 acres and 100 buildings, including the massive Great Stone Dwelling House of 1837 — still the largest Shaker dwelling house ever built. As membership dwindled, the Enfield Shakers closed in 1923 and consolidated with Canterbury, N.H. In December 1927, at the invitation of a Lebanon parish priest, Fr. Zotique Chouinard, M.S., negotiated the sale of the North Family property to the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette for $25,000. The Missionaries re-purposed the Shaker buildings, brought in the Sisters of Saint Martha in August 1928, built the Mary Keane Memorial Chapel in 1930, and ran the La Salette Minor Seminary (the 'Lancers'), Camp Pious and a conference center for nearly half a century. After the seminary closed in 1974, the property took its final form as a shrine and retreat center, with the iconic Rosary Walk, Stations of the Cross, Peace Walk, Mary's Garden and the Weeping Mother statue in the Garden of the Apparition.
- 1793 — Shakers found the Enfield community on Lake Mascoma ('Chosen Vale')
- 1837 — Great Stone Dwelling House built (largest Shaker dwelling ever)
- 1850 — Enfield Shaker village peaks at ~350 members, ~3,000 acres, ~100 buildings
- 1923 — Enfield Shaker community closes; remaining members move to Canterbury
- December 1927 — Shakers sell 'Chosen Vale' to the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette for $25,000 (Fr. Zotique Chouinard, M.S.)
- August 1928 — Sisters of Saint Martha arrive to run the household
- 1930 — Mary Keane Memorial Chapel built through the gift of benefactress Mary Keane
- 1928–1974 — La Salette Minor Seminary ('La Salette Lancers') and Camp Pious operate on site
- 1974 — Seminary closes; property is re-dedicated as a shrine and retreat center
- May 30, 1951 — Shrine formally dedicated
- 1954 — Festival of Lights Christmas display inaugurated
- April 29, 2023 — Provincial announces shrine will close October 1, 2023
- September 19, 2023 — Farewell Mass celebrated on the feast of Our Lady of La Salette
- September 29, 2023 — Enfield Shaker Museum completes $1.5 million purchase
- September 30, 2023 — Shrine ceases operations after 96 years
The Grounds, Chapels and Devotional Walks
Spread over roughly 28 acres along Route 4A on the shores of Lake Mascoma, the shrine integrated five historic Shaker North Family buildings with two purpose-built Catholic structures and an outdoor devotional landscape on the hillside. The Mary Keane Memorial Chapel (1930), with its wagon-wheel lighting and old wooden pews, was the principal worship space and the home of the Weeping Mother statue. The A-frame Reconciliation Chapel on the property's edge housed a hand-carved wood Last Supper and the international Nativity Sets exhibit. The Pavilion, seating about 80, was used for prayer services, music and relaxation. The hillside outdoor ministry — the Rosary Walk, the fourteen Stations of the Cross, the Peace Walk, Mary's Garden and the Garden of the Apparition — was open to pilgrims year-round.
- Mary Keane Memorial Chapel (1930) — principal chapel, Weeping Mother statue
- A-frame Reconciliation Chapel — Last Supper carving and International Nativity Sets
- Pavilion (seats ~80) — prayer, music, relaxation
- Garden of the Apparition with the Weeping Mother statue
- Rosary Walk, Peace Walk, Mary's Garden, 14 outdoor Stations of the Cross
- Five Shaker North Family buildings retained on site: Trustees' Office (North House), Laundry/Dairy Store, Wood House (cafeteria), and two barns
- Spring on site — flowing before 1846, reportedly running again within two days of the apparition
The Festival of Lights
Begun in 1954, the Festival of Lights became one of the largest Christmas light displays in New England and the shrine's signature public ministry. For nearly 70 years, beginning Thanksgiving evening and running through early January, the hillside was transformed into a vast, walk-through light display that drew tens of thousands of visitors and tour buses. The festival traditionally featured weekly concerts by bell-ringers (e.g., the Plainfield Chimers) and choirs, and the festival café served hot chocolate, cookies, tea and coffee. Covid-era protocols reduced the menu in 2021–22. After the 2023 closure, the Enfield Shaker Museum indicated it would offer a smaller-scale version of the display going forward.
- Begun 1954; ran continuously for nearly 70 years
- Open Thanksgiving Day through January 2, Wed–Sun 5–9 p.m. (closed Mon/Tue)
- Weekly bell-ringing and choral concert series during the season
- International Nativity Sets on display in the A-frame Reconciliation Chapel
- Religious articles store / Gift Shop open during display hours
Retreats, Pilgrimages and Special Programs
Beyond its seasonal Mass and devotions, the shrine offered scheduled retreats, the annual Divine Mercy Sunday pilgrimage (with veneration of the relic of St. Faustyna), the September Triduum on the feast of Our Lady of La Salette (often with a visiting bishop as principal celebrant), Eco-Mission programming, and the formation program of the La Salette Associates lay community. A walking-tour PDF of the shrine grounds was made available online, and bulletin resources listed retreats, concerts, pilgrimages and group programs well in advance.
- Annual September 19–21 Triduum (candlelight procession, Weeping Mother procession, crowning, Benediction)
- Divine Mercy Sunday pilgrimage with relic of St. Faustyna
- Eco-Mission program
- Scheduled day and group retreats
- Concerts during the Festival of Lights season
La Salette Associates and Lay Community
The shrine hosted a local chapter of the La Salette Laity / La Salette Associates, an international community of Catholic lay men and women (18+) inspired by the 1846 apparition and committed to making Mary's message known. The Enfield group had a formal Formation Program, an annual written covenant renewed yearly, and opportunities for study, prayer, ministry, community building and an annual retreat. Co-Director Maureen Daniels ([email protected]) oversaw the Enfield chapter. The shrine also nurtured the La Salette Ladies' Guild, originally organized December 11, 1968, with its first meeting January 6, 1969, and first Mass January 19, 1969.
- La Salette Associates (La Salette Laity) — formal formation, annual covenant
- Local contact: Maureen Daniels, Co-Director, [email protected]
- La Salette Ladies' Guild (founded 1968–1969) — first Mass at the shrine January 19, 1969
Staff, Clergy and Governance
The shrine was a ministry of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, Province of North America (M.S.). At the time of closure, the Very Rev. William V. Kaliyadan, M.S., was Provincial Superior; the Shrine Director was Rev. John P. Sullivan, M.S. (serving about 8 years); and Rev. Joseph P. Gosselin, M.S., was the second priest assigned. Brother David Carignan, M.S., served as Shrine Manager and Gift Shop manager. Former longtime Director Fr. René J. Butler, M.S., had been elected Provincial Superior of the La Salette Missionaries of North America at the Provincial Chapter of October 19–22, 2015.
- Very Rev. William V. Kaliyadan, M.S. — Provincial Superior, North American Province
- Rev. John P. Sullivan, M.S. — Shrine Director (~2015–Sept. 2023); reassigned to Georgia
- Rev. Joseph P. Gosselin, M.S. — reassigned to Florida after closure
- Rev. René J. Butler, M.S. — former Director; elected Provincial Superior October 2015
- Brother David Carignan, M.S. — Shrine Manager / Gift Shop
Closure and Transfer to the Enfield Shaker Museum
On April 29, 2023, the Missionaries' governing body — citing declining vocations and a desire to focus on the National La Salette Shrine in Attleboro, Mass. — announced the Enfield shrine would close October 1, 2023. A farewell Mass on the September 19 feast day drew Bishop Peter Libasci of Manchester. On September 29, 2023, the neighboring Enfield Shaker Museum completed its $1.5 million purchase, raised in just seven weeks from 344 donors across 24 states (totaling more than $2 million). The remaining ~$750,000 of the Museum's $3 million 'Together Again' campaign goal is dedicated to deferred repairs, fire-safety upgrades, restrooms in the former chapel (now the 'Chosen Vale Performance Center'), and restoration of the North House, Laundry/Dairy and Wood House. For the first time in 96 years, the North Family and Church Family of the Enfield Shakers are reunited as one property, and the hillside shrine, rosary walk and stations remain publicly accessible.
- Closure announced April 29, 2023
- Final Mass September 19, 2023 (feast day)
- Last day of operation September 30, 2023
- Purchase closed September 29, 2023 by Enfield Shaker Museum for $1.5 million
- Together Again campaign: $3 million goal; $2 million raised in seven weeks from 344 donors
- Reunites North Family and Church Family Shaker lands after 96 years
- Hillside shrine, rosary walk and Stations of the Cross remain accessible
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Zotique Chouinard, M.S.1927 –
La Salette Missionary who negotiated the purchase of 'Chosen Vale' from the Shakers for $25,000 in early December 1927 and is buried in the cemetery on site.
- Fr. René J. Butler, M.S.Shrine Director (pre-2015) through October 2015
Longtime Shrine Director at Enfield who wrote weekly homilies; elected Provincial Superior of the La Salette Missionaries of North America at the Provincial Chapter, October 19–22, 2015.
- Rev. John P. Sullivan, M.S.approx. 2015 – September 30, 2023
Served as Shrine Director for about 8 years through the shrine's closure; reassigned to a La Salette parish in Georgia.
- Rev. Joseph P. Gosselin, M.S.to September 30, 2023
Priest assigned at the shrine at closure; reassigned to a La Salette parish in Florida.