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September 9, 2021Traveling around the United States presents ample opportunity to enrich our Catholic faith by visiting various holy sites, including those that may be hidden gems. Perhaps you have stopped to participate in Mass while traveling on vacation or business. There is a good possibility you could have easily missed a sacred monument, marvel or miracle in the area.
Now that we have access to GPS technology, it seems a little easier to find driving directions to specific church locations and the notable shrines. However, knowing where “off the beaten path” holy sites of interest are located in a specific state, and finding the directions can be challenging.
There is good news! “Monuments, Marvels and Miracles” is a fantastic reference book for Catholics making it easier to identify the location of “more than 500 of our country’s most intriguing holy sites.” This “Traveler’s Guide to Catholic America” is authored by Marion Amberg, who specializes in “faith travel” and has written for more than 100 publications, ranging from Catholic Digest to Family Motor Coaching. (marionamberg.com)
This book can help you plan your travel to easily find many interesting Catholic sites, some of which you may have never heard of. From the Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine at Fultonville, N.Y., to the Basilica of Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr, in Ashville, N.C. or San Felipe de Neri Church (built in 1793) in Old Town Albuquerque, N.M., there are hundreds of Catholic holy sites to visit. Whether your interest is with architecture, religious history, artifacts or stories on “marvels” or “miracles” you will find Amberg’s book to be a great resource for travel planning.
The content is organized into seven regions of the United States and each chapter contains a state map showing national and state highways while denoting the various holy sites.
Plus. the author has provided interesting short stories for each holy site listed and a sidebar called Finding Faith that features a religious attraction or Catholic story unique to that state. As an example, if you are planning to travel in Indiana and “want to score a spiritual touchdown,” visit Notre Dame University and the famous Jesus mural on the exterior wall of Hesburgh Library.
Looking through this book you will find several color photos and contact information to assist your travel planning. There also is plenty of “Catholic trivia” to enjoy. For example, Amberg’s Finding Faith sidebar for Georgia writes, “According to lore, when Gen. William T. Sherman ordered Union troops to burn Atlanta to the ground in 1864, Father Thomas O’Reilly warned, ‘Burn the Catholic church and every Catholic in the Union army will mutiny.’ The Catholic church was spared.”
We are blessed to live in a country with a rich Catholic heritage, so if you are planning to travel in the United States on business or vacation and are interested in Catholic architecture, Catholic history and various “healing places,” I believe you will find this book quite useful.
John H. Dolezal is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
