The Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, Ohio, traces its roots to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. In 1873, a Luxembourg-born priest, Father Joseph Golden, was asked to include the village of Carey in his ministry across northwestern Ohio. When he arrived—serving there once a week, every Thursday—he found thirteen families and an unfinished church.

Father Golden helped the villagers complete the church in 1875. When it was finished, the small parish community decided to rename the original Church of Saint Edward in honor of Our Lady. Father Golden suggested the title Our Lady of Consolation, explaining, “We are not yet at the end of our difficulties, and we need a good, loving, and powerful comforter.”

Years earlier, while still a seminarian in Luxembourg, Father Golden had promised Our Lady that the first church he helped build would be dedicated to her under this title—Our Lady of Consolation, Consoler of the Afflicted. The immigrant families from Luxembourg joyfully agreed.

That promise was fulfilled when a replica of the statue of Our Lady of Consolation from the cathedral in Luxembourg was brought to the new church in Carey. From that moment, Our Lady took on her new title in this new home, and the sacred image soon became associated with miracles. Ever since, pilgrims have found healing, comfort, and renewed faith upon visiting the Basilica and National Shrine.

In 1912, Conventual Friar Aloys Fish became the first friar to serve in Carey. Many friars have followed, shepherding the devotion that began in 1875. We are grateful to God for 150 years of faith and devotion to Our Lady of Consolation.

As a boy growing up in nearby Kirby, Ohio, I was part of that devotion. Each year my family joined the diocesan pilgrimage, walking in procession as the statue of Our Lady of Consolation was carried to the Shrine Park while we prayed the rosary. To me as a child, the Shrine Park seemed miles away from the main church. Once we arrived at the outdoor altar, we celebrated Adoration, listened to Scripture, heard a homily by the friars, and received Benediction with the Relic of the True Cross.

Every August 14–15, on the Feast of the Assumption, friars still visit this holy place to hear confessions and celebrate Mass for the thousands of pilgrims who attend the nine-day novena.

I am no longer that young boy but now a Franciscan friar myself. I have had the privilege to serve God and many pilgrims in the same sacred place I first came to know as a child. Supporting and encouraging devotion to Our Lady of Consolation remains as vital today as ever. Are not Father Golden’s words still true? “We are not yet at the end of our difficulties, and we need a good, loving, and powerful comforter.”