Page 69 - Lariat Loop
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Mother Cabrini Shrine
303-526-0758 • mothercabrinishrine
After arriving from Italy in the U.S., Frances Maria Cabrini purchased an abandoned ranch on Lookout Mountain in 1909 to begin a summer camp for orphan girls who sustained themselves with primitive farming of chickens, milk cows, haying and an ice house. In 1914, volunteers built a 3-story, stone house for Cabrini, Sisters of Sacred Heart, and orphans. A grotto modeled after the Great Shrine of Lourdes was established in 1929.
A 22-foot high statue of Jesus Christ was installed at the highest point of the 900 acres in 1954. Local volunteers built 373 steps up to the statue in 1955. A chapel, gift shop and convent were built in 1970. After a visitor claimed to visit with the Virgin Mary in 1991, local volunteers helped supervise more than 250,000 visitors seeking the vision. Since 2010, an average of 200,000 visitors come to Cabrini Shrine annually. Cabrini established 75 convents and 67 schools, orphanages, and hospitals before she died in 1917. She was canonized in 1946 as Patron Saint of Immigrants. A history museum and a meditation walk were added in 2014.
Lariat Loop Scenic & Historic Byway 65
