About Our Lady of the Mountains Shrine [Gate of Heaven Parish] · Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
Our Lady of the Mountains Shrine is a Roman Catholic Marian shrine located at 2470 Route 302 East in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, across from the historic Mount Washington Hotel at the foot of Mount Washington. It is the summer shrine of Gate of Heaven Parish, Lancaster, in the Diocese of Manchester, and was formally established as a shrine in 1952 by Father John Feeney, pastor of the then-named church. The Gothic Revival church, built between 1904 and 1907 to serve the resort hotels of the once-thriving White Mountain summer colony, fell into severe disrepair after mid-century but was lovingly restored and reopened in August 2018. Today it serves summer visitors, pilgrims, skiers, and tourists drawn to the White Mountains, with Mass offered on Saturdays from Memorial Day to October.
- Established
- 1904
- Patron
- Our Lady (Blessed Virgin Mary) under the title 'Our Lady of the Mountains'
- Rector
- Rev. Zevier Hirudayaraj Arockiam, HGN (Administrator; appointed May 15, 2025)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Manchester (Roman Catholic)
Why belong here
Gate of Heaven Parish welcomes anyone seeking a quieter, deeply Catholic faith community amid the White Mountains of northern New Hampshire. Across its five worship sites — including the beloved summer shrine at Bretton Woods — the parish offers daily and Sunday Mass in English, plus adoration, confession, youth ministry (a teen group for grades 5–12 with outings like Arethusa Falls hikes and pool nights), the Cenacle of St. Monica prayer group (which prays for those who have left the Church, the sick and dying, and priests), faith formation, and the annual Totus Tuus summer catechetical camp. Visitors are drawn not only to the parish's mountain setting but to the restored 1904 Gothic Revival shrine with its celebrated 1952 painting of Our Lady by Hungarian master Béla Szemere, making it both an active parish and a true Marian pilgrimage stop.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Mountains Shrine [Gate of Heaven Parish]
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 8:30 AM at Our Lady of the Mountains Shrine (Memorial Day – October 31)
- Wednesday 4:30–5:00 PM at All Saints Church, Lancaster (parish-wide)
Adoration times
- Wednesday at All Saints Church, Lancaster (immediately preceding 5:30 PM Mass)
Welcome & Parish Identity
Gate of Heaven Parish is a Roman Catholic community serving the North Country of New Hampshire from its parish base in Lancaster. Its mission statement reads: 'Gate of Heaven Parish is here to help you deepen your friendship with Jesus Christ and to live the beauty of our Catholic faith. Here we meet Jesus in the scriptures and teachings of the Church, in our sacraments and worship, and in our love for one another.' The parish describes itself as a family that welcomes newcomers, the searching, and those returning to the Church. Its current administrator, known to parishioners as 'Fr. Zevi,' is supported by a parish staff including youth-ministry leaders and coordinators of the Cenacle of St. Monica prayer group.
- Parish staff: Fr. Zevi (Administrator), Diane Caruso, Bill Rutherford, Lindsay Foss, Patty Coutermarsh
- Parish office phone: (603) 788-2083
- Five worship sites across Coös County
Our Lady of the Mountains Shrine
The shrine is the parish's seasonal pilgrimage chapel at Bretton Woods. Built in 1904 (with some sources dating construction to 1907) in the Gothic Revival style, it originally served the guests of the Mount Washington Hotel and surrounding White Mountain resort hotels. Father John Feeney formally established it as the Shrine of Our Lady of the Mountains in 1952, and the parish now uses it for summer and early-autumn Masses, Saturday confessions, and Marian devotion. After a major restoration completed in August 2018, the shrine is again a focal point of the parish's ministry to visitors and pilgrims.
- Address: 2470 Route 302 East, Bretton Woods (Carroll), NH 03575
- Restoration completed and shrine reopened August 2018
- Feast of Our Lady of the Mountains: November 26
History of the Shrine
The church was built in 1904 and dedicated to Our Lady under the title 'Our Lady of the Mountains.' Located on Route 302 across from the Mount Washington Hotel, it served guests and employees of the Bretton Woods resort hotels — at peak season, as many as nine scheduled Sunday Masses were celebrated. As the resort era faded, Father John Feeney, appointed pastor in 1949, envisioned transforming the dwindling church into a Marian shrine. In 1952 Dr. Eugene Markush donated the painting by Hungarian artist Béla Szemere (in memory of his wife Stella Maria, the artist's sister), and the Shrine of Our Lady of the Mountains was born. After decades of growing devotion, the building suffered serious structural decline; Bishop Peter A. Libasci publicly championed its restoration, and the church was reopened in August 2018.
- Built 1904 (also reported as 1907) — Gothic Revival
- Pastor Father John Feeney appointed 1949
- Shrine formally established 1952
- Major restoration and reopening August 2018
The Béla Szemere Painting
The shrine's devotional focus is the painting of Our Lady and the Divine Child given in 1952 by Dr. Eugene Markush, president of the Pharma-Chemical Corporation of New York City, in memory of his wife Stella Maria. The artist, Stella Maria's brother Béla Szemere, was born in 1904, trained at the Vienna Royal Academy, and studied further in Rome on a fellowship. A noted portraitist of European royals and dignitaries, he emigrated to the United States as a refugee from Communist Hungary and painted the image of Mary as a thank-offering to the Mother of God. The painting depicts Our Lady in an Alpine setting that echoes the White Mountains surrounding the shrine.
- Donated 1952 by Dr. Eugene Markush
- Memorial for his wife Stella Maria Markush
- Painted by Hungarian artist Béla Szemere
Sacraments of Vocation
The parish maintains a dedicated ministry to the Sacraments of Vocation — Holy Orders, Marriage, and Religious Life — supporting discernment and accompaniment for those called to these vocations. Practical preparation for the sacrament of marriage is coordinated through the parish office.
- Holy Orders discernment
- Marriage preparation
- Religious Life discernment
Youth Ministry
The parish runs a Youth Group for teens in grades 5 through 12, meeting twice a month on Sunday afternoons at 5:00 PM. The group blends faith talks rooted in the Gospel with social events including movie nights, hikes (e.g. Arethusa Falls), pool parties, and outings to the Lancaster Fair. The parish also promotes the Totus Tuus summer catechetical camp, with a day program for grades 1–6 (9 AM–3 PM, Monday–Friday) and an evening program for grades 7–12 (6–8 PM, Sunday–Thursday), held in cooperation with St. Rose of Lima Parish in Littleton. Registration and volunteer inquiries are handled by Bill Rutherford (603-631-1528) and Lindsay Foss (603-631-0720), with parish-office support from Diane Caruso (603-991-4096).
- Youth Group: grades 5–12, twice monthly Sun 5:00 PM
- Totus Tuus summer catechetical camp
- Contacts: Bill Rutherford, Lindsay Foss, Diane Caruso
Cenacle of St. Monica — Prayer for Return
The Cenacle of St. Monica is the parish's intercessory prayer group whose primary ministry is to pray for those who have separated themselves from the Catholic Church, and also for priests, the sick and dying, and many other intentions. In June the Cenacle was officially inducted as a chapter of the Eucharistic Apostles of Divine Mercy, an apostolate of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The group meets on the second and last Thursdays of the month, 3:00–5:00 PM, at the St. Matthew Rectory in Whitefield, praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Holy Rosary and studying Scripture, the Catechism, and St. Faustina's Diary. New members and prayer intentions are welcomed.
- Meets 2nd and last Thursdays, 3:00–5:00 PM, St. Matthew Rectory, Whitefield
- Chaplet of Divine Mercy and Holy Rosary
- Studies from Scripture, Catechism, and St. Faustina's Diary
- Contacts: Patty Coutermarsh (603-837-9445), Diane Caruso (603-991-4096)
Gate of Heaven Parish — Diocese of Manchester
Gate of Heaven Parish belongs to the White Mountain Deanery of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire. It is the canonical parish uniting five worship sites — All Saints Church (Lancaster), St. Matthew Church (Whitefield), St. Agnes Mission (Jefferson), St. Patrick Mission (Twin Mountain), and the Shrine of Our Lady of the Mountains (Bretton Woods). The Dean of the White Mountain Deanery is Very Rev. Kyle F. Stanton.
- Diocese: Diocese of Manchester
- Deanery: White Mountain
- Dean: Very Rev. Kyle F. Stanton
Visiting the Shrine
The Shrine of Our Lady of the Mountains at Bretton Woods is a popular pilgrimage stop and a tourist destination in its own right, sited directly across Route 302 from the historic Mount Washington Hotel and within the Bretton Woods ski area. Visitors travel the scenic Route 302 byway through Crawford Notch, often combining a Mass or quiet visit with stays at the hotel or ski trips up Mount Washington. Summer is the peak pilgrimage season; the parish offers Mass and confession at the shrine from Memorial Day through October 31.
- Across Route 302 from the Mount Washington Hotel
- Summer season: Memorial Day – October 31
- Scenic White Mountains / Crawford Notch byway
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father John Feeney1949 –
Appointed pastor of the Bretton Woods church (and Whitefield and Twin Mountain); conceived and established it as the Shrine of Our Lady of the Mountains in 1952.
- Rev. Matthew J. Schultzuntil July 13, 2022
Administrator of Gate of Heaven Parish; led the parish in the years surrounding the 2018 restoration of the shrine; reassigned as Pastor of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Rochester, and Saint Leo Parish, Gonic.
- Rev. Britto Adaikalam, HGNafter 2022
Appointed Pastor of Gate of Heaven Parish (Lancaster/Whitefield).
- Rev. Kyle F. StantonFeb 25, 2025 – May 15, 2025
Appointed Administrator of Gate of Heaven Parish in addition to his duties as Pastor of Good Shepherd Parish, Berlin, Holy Family, Gorham, and North American Martyrs, Colebrook.
- Rev. Zevier Hirudayaraj Arockiam, HGNMay 15, 2025 – present
Current Administrator (commonly 'Fr. Zevi'); assigned by Bishop Libasci effective May 15, 2025.