About St. Mary Catholic Church & Our Lady of the Woods Shrine · Mio, Michigan
St. Mary Catholic Church & Our Lady of the Woods Shrine is a small Roman Catholic parish in Mio, Michigan (Oscoda County) that also serves as the curator of one of the Midwest's most-visited Marian landmarks — a 42-foot-tall, 120-foot-wide limestone shrine memorializing five apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Lourdes, Fatima, La Salette, Guadalupe, plus a Pietà and three grottos). It belongs to the Diocese of Gaylord and is led by Fr. Santiago M. Hoyumpa. In 2025 the Shrine was designated an official Pilgrimage of Hope site for the Jubilee Year, drawing thousands of pilgrims each year to walk the grounds, climb to the chapel built into the structure, and receive the sacraments.
- Established
- 1945 (vision); Shrine construction began 1953; Shrine dedicated 1955
- Patron
- Blessed Virgin Mary (Our Lady of the Woods); the parish church of St. Mary is named for the Blessed Mother as well. The Shrine additionally memorializes apparitions at Lourdes, Fatima, La Salette and Guadalupe, and the grottoes honor Our Lady of Czestochowa and St. Anne.
- Rector
- Rev. Santiago M. Hoyumpa
- Diocese
- Diocese of Gaylord (erected 1971; before that the parish belonged to the Diocese of Saginaw, which approved and dedicated the Shrine in 1955)
Why belong here
St. Mary & Our Lady of the Woods offers something rare in northern Michigan: a small, family-sized parish of roughly 159 families and 259 parishioners that also curates one of the Midwest's most beloved Marian shrines. Belonging here means sharing in a year-round pilgrimage ministry — welcoming tour buses, hosting the outdoor Mass on the Solemnity of the Assumption, and serving as custodians of an irreplaceable 1955 limestone landmark now being carefully restored — while still enjoying the close-knit rhythm of a country parish, daily and weekend Mass, weekly reconciliation, Baptism, Marriage preparation and Anointing of the Sick.
Mass times at St. Mary Catholic Church & Our Lady of the Woods Shrine
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesdays 4:00–4:25 PM (Labor Day through Memorial Day)
- Wednesdays 5:00–5:25 PM (Memorial Day through Labor Day)
- Saturdays 3:00–3:25 PM (Labor Day through Memorial Day)
- Saturdays 5:00–5:25 PM (Memorial Day through Labor Day)
- Sundays 8:00–8:25 AM
- Also by appointment
About the Parish & Shrine
St. Mary Catholic Church sits next to Our Lady of the Woods Shrine on Deyarmond Street in Mio, Michigan, and the parish's pastor, staff and parishioners act as curators of the Marian memorial, one of the most visited Christian destinations in the Midwest. The parish describes itself as 'a community of faith called to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ,' reaching out to others, worshiping together and dedicating its resources to the enrichment of all people.
- Pastor: Fr. Santiago M. Hoyumpa
- Shrine Director: Monte Mariani
- Parish Secretary: Maryanne Ladensack
- Grounds & Maintenance: Lynn Cournyer and Nick Lashley
- Mission statement anchored in Gospel living, lifelong praise of God and love for one another
History of the Shrine
The Shrine traces its origin to a visionary prayer by Fr. Hubert Rakowski in 1945; the structure was built by hand from 1953 to 1955 and dedicated on September 4, 1955 by the Diocese of Saginaw. A second dedication took place in 1958 for the Family Grotto, and the Shrine has welcomed pilgrims continuously since. A multi-phase restoration begun in 2015 is wrapping up in 2026 after the Shrine was designated a Pilgrimage of Hope site for the entire Jubilee Year 2025.
- 1945 — Fr. Hubert Rakowski envisions a Marian shrine while praying for his congregation
- 1952 — Local business owners support the vision as a tourism project
- 1953 — Ground broken on July for an 8-foot-deep, 4-foot-wide footing; Anna Shilds donates a 4-ft Our Lady of Lourdes statue in Italian marble
- Sept. 27, 1954 — Last stone placed on the pinnacle; Lourdes statue placed in its alcove
- Sept. 4, 1955 — Formal dedication by the Diocese of Saginaw; 4,000–5,000 attendees, 15,000 more visitors that weekend
- May 1956 — First outdoor Mass at the Shrine, ~2,000 in attendance
- 1958 — Second dedication for the Family Grotto (St. Anne); Czestochowa Grotto mosaic donated by Polish-American Council of Detroit
- 2012 — Fr. Santiago M. Hoyumpa arrives as pastor
- 2013 — Resumes the outdoor Assumption Mass on Aug. 15
- 2015 — Launches comprehensive 6-phase, ~$1.2 million restoration
- 2025 — Designated official Pilgrimage of Hope site for the Jubilee Year
- 2026 — Final restoration phase (front patio) nearing completion
Architecture of the Shrine
Our Lady of the Woods is an artificial mountain of Onaway limestone, roughly 42–43 feet tall and 120–142 feet wide, weighing about 25,000 tons of stone set in 25,000 tons of cement. A chapel is built into the Shrine so Mass can be celebrated at its base. As visitors walk the exterior, they encounter five Marian apparition statues (Lourdes, Fatima, La Salette, Guadalupe) plus a Pietà, and three grottos are embedded in the structure.
- Dimensions: ~42 ft tall × ~120 ft wide (some sources ~142 ft)
- Materials: ~25,000 tons of native Onaway limestone + ~25,000 tons of cement
- Built almost entirely by hand with scaffolding, a homemade elevator, shovels and wheelbarrows
- Five exterior apparition scenes: Lourdes, Fatima, La Salette, Guadalupe, and a Pietà
- Three embedded grottos: Family Shrine, Our Lady of Czestochowa, St. Anne
- Statue of St. Hubert (patron of hunters) on the grounds
Featured Shrines & Grottos
Three grottos are set into the Shrine, each with its own devotional focus, art and relics.
- The Family Shrine — Holy Family and St. Anne holding Mary in Bianco marble; first-class relics of St. Anne, St. Anthony of Padua and St. Francis of Assisi sealed inside the walls; tied to the Holy Family, St. Anne de Beaupré (Canada) and Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mexico) to represent the North American portion of the Shrine
- Our Lady of Czestochowa Grotto — features a 1958 mosaic of the Black Madonna donated by the Americans of Polish Extraction of the Polish Council of Detroit, based on a painting attributed to St. John the Apostle
- St. Anne Grotto — dedicated to the mother of Mary, linked to the Canadian National Shrine of St. Anne de Beaupré
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the full range of sacraments: Reconciliation on the weekly schedule, Eucharist at daily and Sunday Mass, Baptism and Marriage by appointment, and Anointing of the Sick on request.
- Reconciliation — see weekly schedule above; also by appointment
- Baptism — by appointment, call the parish office
- Marriage — by appointment, arranged at least six months before the wedding date
- Anointing of the Sick — by appointment, call the parish office
Restoration of the Shrine (2015–2026)
After decades of weather damage, a comprehensive 6-phase restoration project was launched in 2015 with an estimated budget of about $1.2 million. All work has been funded through donations — including a matching-gift program — with no debt incurred by the parish or the Shrine. The final phase replaces the front patio/steps with Idaho quartz and is being completed in 2026 after being deferred so the Shrine could serve as a Pilgrimage of Hope site for the entire Jubilee Year 2025.
- Phase 1–5 (complete) — back-side limestone replacement, statue repair, weather damage repair in the Family Shrine and Czestochowa grottos, water-barrier reinforcement, front-facade sealing
- Phase 6 (in progress) — removal and replacement of patio stone in Idaho quartz; budget ~$210,000; ~$154,000 raised as of mid-October 2025
- Funded entirely by parishioners, visitors and matching gifts — no debt
- Average annual Shrine collection reported at ~$100,000; $200,000 raised in the most recent campaign
- Parish leadership: Fr. Santiago M. Hoyumpa (pastor) and Monte Mariani (Shrine director)
Pilgrimage & Jubilee Year 2025
Our Lady of the Woods was designated an official Pilgrimage of Hope site by the Diocese of Gaylord for the entire Jubilee Year of Hope 2025. Pilgrims may visit the Shrine year-round to receive indulgences and to experience the devotions of Mary.
- Shrine grounds open seven days a week, dawn to dusk
- Guided tours and an English-language audio tour
- Gift shop open May 1 – Oct. 15, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, staffed by volunteers
- Annual outdoor Assumption Mass on August 15
Visit, Tours & Gift Shop
Pilgrims and visitors can walk the Shrine grounds year-round, take a guided or self-guided audio tour, browse the volunteer-staffed Gift Shop (which sells devotional items and a more detailed printed history of the Shrine), and pray at any of the three grottos or at the chapel built into the Shrine.
- Open seven days a week, dawn to dusk
- English audio tour available
- Gift Shop — May 1 to Oct. 15, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, volunteer-staffed
- Detailed printed Shrine history available in the Gift Shop
- Large tour-bus-friendly grounds with parking along Deyarmond Street
Staff & Leadership
The Shrine and parish are run by a small team led by the pastor, a dedicated Shrine director, a parish secretary and grounds/maintenance staff. Daily care of the limestone Shrine and grounds is a substantial part of the parish's ministry.
- Rev. Santiago M. Hoyumpa — Pastor
- Monte Mariani — Shrine Director
- Maryanne Ladensack — Parish Secretary
- Lynn Cournyer — Grounds & Maintenance
- Nick Lashley — Grounds & Maintenance
- Richard Troyer — Maintenance
- Jeanie Smith — Secretary
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Hubert Rakowski1945 – c. 1950s
Young Franciscan priest; Mio's first full-time resident priest. In 1945 he envisioned a Marian shrine on the church grounds while praying for his new congregation, and in 1953 he broke ground on the Shrine, leading the mostly volunteer, hand-built construction project until its Sept. 4, 1955 dedication by the Diocese of Saginaw. Named 'founder' of the Shrine in every official history.
- Fr. Santiago M. Hoyumpa2012 – present
Current pastor. Arrived at St. Mary Parish in 2012; resumed the outdoor Assumption Mass on August 15, 2013; led the launch and execution of the six-phase, roughly $1.2 million restoration of the Shrine beginning in 2015, and oversaw the Shrine's designation as an official Pilgrimage of Hope site for the entire Jubilee Year 2025.