About Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine · Parma, Ohio
Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine is a Marian shrine on the grounds of the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament (S.I.W.) in Parma Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. Originally dedicated in 1936 as a simple covered pavilion with a statue of Mary, it has been remodeled twice — once in 1952 and again with a full rededication in 2000 — and now stands as an entirely enclosed structure ringed by stained-glass windows depicting the Mysteries of the Rosary. The Shrine is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year-round for prayer, candle-lighting, and reflection; Mass is not celebrated in the Shrine itself, but it is part of a wider pilgrimage campus that includes the outdoor Stations of the Cross (1936/2007) and the Labyrinth: Path of Blessings (2000), a replica of the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth. In 2024 Bishop Edward C. Malesic designated it a diocesan Sacred Site for the Jubilee Year of Hope.
- Established
- 1935
- Patron
- Mary, Queen of the Holy Rosary (Our Lady of the Rosary)
- Rector
- Served by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament (S.I.W.); congregational leader Sr. Margaret Taylor, SIW. (No resident diocesan pastor — the Shrine is a religious-order pilgrimage site, not a parish church.)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
Why belong here
This Shrine is best understood as a quiet, 24/7 outdoor pilgrimage oasis on the Incarnate Word campus, not a parish church. Visitors come to light votive candles before the Bavarian-carved wooden statue of Mary and the Christ Child, to walk the 58-foot Chartres-style Labyrinth: Path of Blessings installed in 2000, to pray the 14 outdoor Stations of the Cross (originally blessed by Bishop James A. McFadden in 1936 and refurbished in 2007), and to gather for the Tuesday-evening Rosary. It was designated a diocesan Sacred Site for the Jubilee Year of Hope 2024, and welcomes people of all faiths and nationalities seeking peace, healing, and conversion — drawn especially by the stained-glass Mysteries that invite each visitor to see their own face in Mary's story.
Mass times at Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine
Adoration times
- Shrine open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for private prayer and reflection
History of Queen of the Holy Rosary Shrine
The Shrine was founded in 1935 through a request from an anonymous donor — publicly identified in 2022 as Alexander J. Wey — to the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament, asking that a shrine be built in honor of Mary on their Pearl Road property. On June 26, 1936 it was dedicated as a simple covered pavilion with a statue of Mary on a white pedestal. It was remodeled in 1952, enclosed on three sides with glass block walls and given a quarried-stone altar, then entirely rebuilt and rededicated in 2000 with stained-glass windows depicting the Mysteries of the Rosary. In 2024 it was named a diocesan Sacred Site for the Jubilee Year of Hope.
- 1935 — anonymous donor's gift; Wey later identified in 2022
- June 26, 1936 — original Shrine dedicated
- 1952 — remodel: glass-block walls, quarried-stone altar
- 2000 — full rebuild and rededication with Rosary-mystery stained glass
- 2022 — donor Alexander J. Wey publicly honored with a plaque
- 2024 — designated a diocesan Sacred Site for the Jubilee Year of Hope
The Statue of Mary and the Christ Child
The Shrine's focal point is a wooden statue of Mary holding the Christ Child on her lap, carved from a single solid piece of wood by a Bavarian craftsman working from an original design. The artist intended to portray Mary as both Queen and Mother; a large rosary extends from Mary's hand to the hand of the Christ Child, serving as a visual catechism that 'the way to Christ is through Mary.'
- Carved from a single piece of wood by a Bavarian craftsman
- Mary depicted as Queen and Mother with Christ Child on her lap
- Large rosary links Mary's hand to Christ's hand
Architecture, Stained Glass and the Mysteries of the Rosary
The 2000 rebuilt Shrine is slightly larger than the 1936 original and is fully enclosed, ringed by stained-glass windows designed by Sister Margaret Marszal, HM, depicting the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. The figures are intentionally faceless, and clear panes are left in each window so visitors literally see their own faces within the Mysteries as they pray — a reminder that the Mysteries of Christ's life and Mary's life are also the Mysteries of human life.
- Stained-glass windows by Sr. Margaret Marszal, HM
- Depicts Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary
- Faceless figures and intentional clear panes invite self-reflection
Labyrinth: Path of Blessings
Installed in 2000 alongside the rebuilt Shrine, the Labyrinth: Path of Blessings is a 58-foot-diameter, medieval 11-circuit Chartres-replica made of brick pavers, located outdoors on the Sisters' property. It is open to the public year-round and is described by the Sisters as a place where pilgrims can make 'a little journey to God' by walking the sacred path and reflecting on their own journey.
- Installed in 2000
- 58-foot diameter, medieval 11-circuit Chartres replica
- Brick paver material, outdoor, permanent
- Public, always open, wheelchair accessible
Outdoor Stations of the Cross
The outdoor Stations of the Cross were dedicated in 1936 by Bishop James A. McFadden of Cleveland and were refurbished in spring 2007. Fourteen cedar-and-bronze crosses are arranged in a circular path around a central Resurrection Cross, set within a keyhole-shaped brick walkway — the key symbolizing the Christian call to take up the cross daily and follow Christ, the Incarnate Word.
- Originally dedicated 1936 by Bishop James A. McFadden
- Refurbished spring 2007
- 14 Stations + central Resurrection Cross
- Keyhole-shaped brick pathway symbolizes the Christian call to take up the cross
Pilgrimage, Devotions and Jubilee Year of Hope
The Shrine has been a place of prayer and pilgrimage since 1936. It is now one of three diocesan Sacred Sites for the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025, designated by Bishop Edward C. Malesic in 2024. A regular public devotion is the Rosary prayed on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. On July 19, 2025 the Shrine hosted its first diocesan Jubilee pilgrimage, with pilgrims processing along Pearl Road from St. John Bosco Church to pray at the Shrine and stamp their Jubilee Year passports.
- Rosary — Tuesday evenings at 7:00 p.m.
- Designated diocesan Sacred Site for the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025
- Hosts pilgrimage groups; Jubilee passport stamping available
The Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament (S.I.W.)
The Shrine is owned and tended by the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament, who established their U.S. Motherhouse on Pearl Road in Parma Heights in the early 1930s. Their wider ministries include Incarnate Word Academy (founded 1935), the outdoor Stations of the Cross, the Labyrinth, and the Shrine itself. The Sisters view the Shrine as 'a visible sign that God, the Incarnate Word, dwells among us' — and, more importantly, a reminder that the Body of Christ is called to be that same visible sign in the world.
- Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament (S.I.W.)
- Motherhouse on Pearl Road, Parma Heights
- Adjacent to Incarnate Word Academy (IWA)
- Sr. Margaret Taylor, SIW — Congregational Leader
- Sr. Monica Marie Navin, SIW
Visiting the Shrine
The Shrine is open to the public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round. Admission is free. Visitors may light votive candles and pray before the statue of Mary and the Christ Child. The Labyrinth and Stations of the Cross are also always open. Mass is not celebrated at the Shrine itself; pilgrims are directed to nearby parishes (e.g., St. John Bosco Church, Parma Heights) for Mass and the sacraments.
- Open 24/7, year-round
- Free admission; votive candles available
- No Mass celebrated in the Shrine — prayer/reflection site only
- Group/pilgrimage visits: 440-886-6440