Good Friday at the Euclid Lourdes Shrine

One of the most beautiful and holiest places in Euclid is the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, off Chardon Road (U.S. Route 6), on a hill above Euclid Avenue. From the Shrine you can see all the way to Lake Erie, about 3-4 miles north. We attend mass at the Shrine in the summer and visit it periodically throughout the year, and always on Good Friday. The Grotto is made from Euclid Bluestone, quarried 2 miles away along Euclid Creek (my Great Grandfather Fenton Fitzpatrick worked there when he arrived from Ireland).

The replica Grotto of Lourdes in Euclid.

Statue of Mary at the Grotto, above the spring.

Entrance to the Stations of the Cross. Many people were there today, Good Friday.

Bald Eagle Over Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine in Euclid. Wildwood Park on Lake Erie

Today we went to mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, a holy place off Chardon Road, right above Euclid Avenue in Euclid, Ohio. This is part of our beloved summer ritual. A couple hundred people came to the mass, which was presided over by a priest-professor from Borromeo/St. Mary's Seminary. Besides the normal crowd, there was a tourist bus from Toronto, Ontario there--this shrine is well-known in Ontario and Quebec.

The Grotto, where mass is celebrated

The grotto is modeled after the original grotto in Lourdes, France. It is built of Euclid Bluestone, from the nearby quarry along Euclid Creek (where my great grandfather, Fenton Fitzpatrick worked).

Marian statue at Lourdes Shrine in Euclid.

The weather was perfect this morning--sunny skies, about 70 degrees. During the mass, a bald eagle circled overhead--then took off to the north, toward Lake Erie two or three miles away. I took this as a sign--a rather muscular symbol of the Holy Spirit, blessing this place.

I have long thought that this shrine is a holy place. Holy places can be such because of unusual beauty. Or because they are sanctified by human beings in some way--places where people have shown great courage, sacrifice, or achievement. This place indeed has natural beauty, on a hill overlooking Euclid (where you can get a glimpse of the Lake). The Shrine has also been sanctified by people, bringing their prayers, sorrows, and joys for the past century.

After the mass, we went into the Grotto and lit three candles. This might seem to be a kind of Catholic superstition. But no matter. I do it anyway, lighting a candle for my three daughters and praying for my family and friends.

When we left the grounds of the shrine, we drove up  Nottingham Road to E. 185th Street, and stopped at Buettner's Bakery. We have done this for many many years. We picked up a loaf of bread, a couple of sweet rolls, and a cup of coffee, then headed to Wildwood Park, off Neff Road. Before we got there, we drove up Tarrymore Road, where my Mom grew up. We tried to find her old house, and I think this is it (17301 Tarrymore Rd.).

Zillow.com says this was was built in 1928. Still looks nice!

From Tarrymore, we went a quarter mile north and west to Wildwood Park. I have gone to this park for more than 50 years, fishing there as a teenager. I love the place.

Wildwood's Marina

You can see Downtown Cleveland, about 8 miles to the west.

Sunday fishing cruise.

What a wonderful Sunday morning. We love our summer Sunday ritual!

Fitzpatrick Family First Communion 1949

Fenton Fitzpatrick's First Communion. E. 146th Street, Collinwood neighborhood, Cleveland, Ohio. 1949. Mom (Margaret Ann) near the center holding me (1 year old). Dad (Robert P.) is top right.

89th Anniversary of Margaret Ann Fitzpatrick Coughlin's Birth Approaching

This Saturday, November 10th, will mark the 89th anniversary of my Mother's birth. Margaret Ann Fitzpatrick was born November 10th, 1923 in Cleveland to John F. and Margaret Ann (nee Sullivan) Fitzpatrick. She was the youngest of 6 children (after Al, Julia (Dudie), Fenton (Skip), and twins Dick and Don.

She was a wonderful person. Fun, funny, full of life, full of spirit. Here's a photo of her with niece Susie Brock from around 1957.

Looks like they drank a lot of beer back in 1957!

Pictures of Mom, from 1940 to about 2000

Today would be my Mom's 88th birthday. My brother Kevin sent me these photos of Mom spanning almost 60 years. At the top, Mom and Kevin's visit to Ireland in the late 1990s; then Mom with Mary Ellen and Jimmy in the early 1960s in Euclid; next is Mom and Dad on their wedding day, August of 1947, in Willoughby; and finally, Mom with her brothers Skip (Fenton) and Don Fitzpatrick, circa 1940 in Cleveland (probably at Tarrymore Drive, off of Neff Road, near Lake Erie).

Margaret Ann Fitzpatrick Coughlin--Born 87 Years Ago Today

Today marks the 87th anniversary of my Mother's birth. My Mother was born in Cleveland to Margaret Ann Sullivan and her husband John Francis Fitzpatrick. Margaret Ann grew up in the Euclid Beach area on Cleveland's East Side--first on E. 169th Street and Grovewood; and then on Tarrymore Drive near Neff Road, a stone's throw from Lake Erie. She was the youngest of 6 children, after Al, Julia, Fenton (Skip), and the twins Dick and Don. My brothers Denny, Kevin, and Jim, and my sister Mary Ellen feel as I do: she was the greatest. We thank the Lord every day that she was our mother; and we still mourn her passing in 2003. The best way to honor our Mother is to be truly alive and awake, to carry on her spirit of fun and joyfulness, and to lift a glass in fellowship and love (and my brothers and I won't neglect that duty!).

Happy Birthday, Mom!