Brodeur Mass Pike Wayside Mary Garden
Preface
The Brodeur Mass Pike Wayside Mary Garden Shrine, of Warren,
Massachusetts, is an unique example of how the Marian devotion,
prayers and thankgiving of one person have been and continue to
be an inspiration for both family members and many thousands of
turnpike travelers.
I personally came upon the shrine in 1980; wrote about it to
Mary's Gardens Associate, Bonnie Roberson, of Hagerman, Idaho;
and described it, with photo, in the 1997 website article
"Wayside Flowers and Shrines of Our Lady".
Subsequently, an incidental mention of the shrine in 2000 in
Mary's Gardens in-house correspondence prompted Associate,
Michael F. Holden to initiate the inquiry which, with the loving
cooperation of Diane Fontaine, daughter of Alfred Brodeur, and of
her husband, Bud, and her family, now maintaining the shrine, has
led to this extensive "living history" of the shrine's origin.
development and significance.
Unique aspects of the shrine, beyond its exemplification of
individual and family Marian devotion, are its striking hillside
visibility from the Massachusetts Turnpike, one-quarter mile or
more in each direction - both by day; and by night, through
illumination - with its focal white statue of Our Lady of Grace
on a stone pedestal, midst a prominent crescent of flowers - both
planted, and also placed there in pots, by stopping turnpike
travelers - expressing veneration and devotion.
Of profound significance for the United State is the example of the
shrine of how, in a culture of separation of church and state, and
"church on Sundays", there can be public quickenings of believers in
daily life to needed offerings of prayers and sacrifices - for peace
and justice - through the private creation and maintenance of
publically accessible wayside shrines.
Of the importance of wayside shrines, an Italian correspondent
wrote,
"As you know, here in Italy we have a strong tradition,
making it easier for us to relate to Mary. Her signs and
symbols are everywhere. At every crossroad you find a
shrine; and her images are everywhere at hand. This is
said not to diminish appreciation of the interiority of
American Marian devotion, but to say that I admire the
abllity to be faithful to it in the middle of nothing
sometimes."
o o o
The report is presented here in the extensive sequence of
developmental e-mail messages, mostly between Michael and Diane,
as they inquired into and set forth the story of the shrine -
with an hypertext click-index by groups of messages, facilitating
the browsing particular aspects of the story. (The repetitive
salutations and signaturs on each message have been omitted.)
John Stokes
Mary's Gardens
February, 2006
Introduction, Michael F. Holden
The copies of e-mail correspondence in this collection regarding
the Brodeur Mass Pike Wayside Mary Garden cover the period from
February 6, 2000 through January 15, 2006.
Diane Fontaine, the primary correspondent, is the daughter of
Alfred and Eldora Brodeur, both of who are deceased. Alfred
Brodeur built the garden in 1964 at the rear of his property
known as Sunnybrook Farm in West Warren in thanksgiving for the
healing of his wife who was stricken with cancer. The site of
the Mary Garden overlooks the Massachusetts Turnpike and has come
to be widely known among turnpike travelers and others throughout
the New England area. It has affectionately been referred to by
some travelers as "The Madonna of the Turnpike".
This collection includes, with permission, the private e-mail
messages of members of the Fontain family descendents who
responded - at the request of Diane Fontaine - to share their
reminiscences of their grandparents, Alfred and Eldora Brodeur;
the circumstances surrounding the building of the shrine garden;
and the spiritual impact the garden has had over the years to
them personally. and to others.
The project received its initial impetus from a requested Fr.
Johann G. Roten, S.M., Director of the Marian Library of the
University o Dayton, to gather information about existing Mary
Gardens throughout the United States.
The early messages recount the interesting search to ultimately
identify the Brodeur Mary Garden and to generate the
correspondence which followed.
Michael F. Holden
February, 2006
Introduction, Diane Fontaine
In response to requests for the story of the construction of the
Marian wayside shrine on our farm overlooking the Massachusetts
Turnpike at Warren, Massachusetts, and of its maintenance for three
generations, our family, after discussion, agreed to share the
faith, love, sorrows and thanksgiving which have gone into it - for
posting on this website along with photos, newspaper articles and
some private notes of appreciation saved through the years.
This "living history" is presented in all its authenticity, just as
requested and recalled in the series of e-mail messages through
which it was developed, without any special refinement or
idealizing.
It is our hope that this requested sharing of our simple family life
of faith, with its focus on the shrine and what it has meant to us
and others, will make a contribution to the faith of our times,
midst all the stress and conflict of the world to which we are
exposed in daily life and the news.
Diane Fontaine
June, 2007
Message Indexes
All Messages in Date Sequence
Project Initiation
Michael to Diane and Bud
Diane and Bud to Michael
Family Member Reports
Press Articles
Representative Notes and Letters
Discussions of Project Between Michael Holden and John Stokes
7 Feb 2000 - John Stokes to Vincenzina Krymow - Shrine Mentioned
8 Feb 2000 - Michael Holden to John Stokes - Will seek information
8 Feb 2000.2 - Michael Holden to Joe DiFabio - Will you investigate?
8 Feb 2000.3 - Joe to Michael - Initial finding - owned by Fred Brothers
9 Feb 2000.3 - Michael to Joe - Thanks for extremely prompt reply
11 Feb 2000 - Michael to John - Joe's and Marie's help
12 Feb 2000 - Joe to Michael - Forwarded information to Fred
17 Feb 2000 - Joe to Michael - Still trying
17 Feb 2000.2 - Michael to Joe - Thanks for continued efforts
6 Mar 2000.3 - Michael to Joe - Thanks for heroic efforts
10 Mar 2000.2 - Michael to Joe - Michael will be the contact
10 Apr 2000 - Michael to Joe - Follow-up report
10 Apr 2000.2 - Joe to Michael - Thanks for info
Michael to Diane and Bud
6 Mar 2000.2 - First message
7 Mar 2000.2 - Mary's Gardens background
8 Mar 2000 - (John to Diane and Bod) - First contact
10 Mar 2000 - Michael will be the contact
12 Mar 2000 - Let the Holy Spirit guide us
15 Mar 2000 - Further questions
20 Mar 2000 - Rebecca's letter is precious
25 Mar 2000 - Newspaper articles arrived
2 Apr 2000 - Michael to Diane - Thanks for further information
3 Apr 2000 - Michael to Diane - Have you checked Mary's Gardens website?
4 Apr 2000. - Further questions?
8 Apr 2000 - Springfield Union News Article 7-3-87
9 Apr 2000 - Springfield Sunday Republican article 10-19=00
9 Apr 2000.2 - Further articles?
15 Apr 2000 - Boston Magazine article July, 1990
15 Apr 2000.2 - Old (first?) Boston clipping
18 Apr 2000 - Our Lady's Messenger articls
18 Apr 2000.3 - Happy Easter!
Diane and Bud to Michael
7 Mar 2000 - Happy to answer questions
10 Mar 2000.2 - First details about shrine
19 Mar 2000 - Gathering information from family
19 Mar 2000.2 - Whole Family excited about project
20 Mar 2000.4 - Diane to Michael (paper) - Here are newspaper articles
21 Mar 2000 - Further information
25 Mar 2000.3 - Newspaper articles arrived
3 Apr 2000.2 - Form in which to present information?
4 Apr 2000.2 - Further recollections
7 Apr 2000 - Further information
7 Apr 2000.2 - One negative thing that happened
18 Apr 2000.2 - Thanks for "Our Lady's Messenger" article
20 Apr 2000.2 - Diane to Michael - Prayers for Bud's mother
30 Apr 2000 - Diane to Michael - Going to Rhode Island
1 May 2000 - Diane to Michael - Memories from Son, Joseph
1 May 2000.2 - Diane to Michael - Miracles do happen!
6 May 2000 - Becky to Michael - Sending Joe's file again
6 May 2000.2 - Diane to Michael - Typing Joe's memory file.
6 May 2000.3 - Diane to Michael - Sister Jean's reminiscences.
7 May 2000 - Diane to Michael and Bernadette - Prayer requests
Family Member Reports
16 Mar 2000 - Diane to nephew Mark Baptiste - Request for information
19 Mar 2000.3 - Nephew Mark to Diane - Memories of grandfather
20 Mar 2000 - Diane to Michael - Forwarding letter from niece Rebecca
19 Mar 2000.4 - Niece Rebecca to Diane
20 Mar 2000 - Diane - Phone message from nephew David
23 Mar 2000 - Letter to Diane from niece Laura
25 Mar 2000 - Diane to Michael - Forwarding message from daughter Lisa
25 Mar 2000.2 - Daughter Lisa to Diane and Bud
4 Apr 2000 - Daughter Melanie's recollections
20 Apr 2000 - Message from friend Beckie
1 May 2000 - Memories from Son, Joseph
1 May 2000.2 - Miracles do happen!
6 May 2000 - Becky to Michael
6 May 2000.2 - Son, Joe reminiscences
6 May 2000.3 - Sister, Jeanne's reminiscences
First (?) - Who Puts the Fresh Flowers There?
19 Oct 1975 - Tell It to Joe
5 Jun 1977 - Statue Marks a Gift of Life
3 Jul 1987 - She's an Inpiration to Travelers
19 Oct 1987 - Keeping a Promise to God
1 Jul 1990 - A Mass Pike Primer
22 Nov 2000 - Who Takes Care of thia Madonna Statue?
23 Jul 1980 - Thank You for Putting This Statue There
16 Aug 1981 - Be Assured of My Prayers for You
12 Sep 1983 - Our Blessed Mother Among the Trees
1 Jun 1987 - Hoping the Lights Will be Shining Brightly
1 Jul 1987 - The Lights are On
23 Jul 2000 - It was a Dream Come True
23 Jul 2000 - With Joyous Hearts We Visited Your Statue
- Wanted to See Her Once More
- Please Say a Special Prayer for Me
- This Will Be My Last Time Here
- I Say a Quick Prayer as I Pass by
- Keep up the Great Work
Discussions of Project Between Michael Holden and
John Stokes
9 Feb 2000.2 - John to Michael - 1980 account of discovering shrine
12 Feb 2000 - Michael to John - Viualization of article on shrine
6 Mar 2000 - Michael to John - Will contact Diane and Bud
9 Mar 2000 - Michael to John - Re. John's exchanges with Diane and Bud
9 Mar 2000.2 - Michael to John - Diane's and Bud's concerns for privacy
10 Mar 2000.4 - John to Michael - Joy over first information<
11 Mar 2000 - Michael to John - A treasure of Marian spirituality
19 Mar 2000.4 - Michael to John - Amazing results!
20 Mar 2000.4 - Michael to John - Forwarding note from Rebecca<
20 Mar 2000.3 - John to Michael - Beautiful expressions of simple faith<
26 March 2000.2 - Michael to John- Summary of information so far<
27 March 2000 - John to Michael - Appreciate your thoroughness<
30 March 2000 - Michael to John - Springfield Republican article<
8 April 2000.2 - Michael to John - Progress reports<
The Messages
7 Feb 2000 John Stokes to Vincenzina Krymow - Shrine mentioned
. . . Re. the Listing of Mary Gardens for possible posting on the
Marian Library website Mary Page, I greatly value your offer to
take on the corroboration of currently existing Mary Gardens and
their addresses, and the identification where possible of contact
persons. . . .
I wonder whether the wayside Mary Garden I discovered one day on
the Mass. Turnpike is still in existence.
8 Feb 2000 Michael Holden to John Stokes - Will seek information
Just read your email to Vincenzina about the existing Mary's
Gardens project.
The Mary's Garden that you mentioned located on the Mass Pike in
the Palmer/Ludlow area is very familiar to me. We have passed by
it many times over the years while living in Massachusetts as
well as now during our summer visits to our home in that area -
and it seems never to have changed - always faithfully extending
an invitation to "look on the flower, think of Mary".
I have a close friend who lives in Brimfield which is just a few
miles east of the Palmer area where the garden is located. I
shall email him and ask if he knows anyone at, or can maybe make
contact with, the local parish for information regarding its
origin, ownership, and care.
Hopefully someone at the church can provide a history and current
circumstances surrounding the garden. It appears to be lovingly
cared for still.
8 Feb 2000.2 Michael Holden to Joe DiFabio - Will you investigate?
Could you possibly investigate - at your leisure - the Mary's
Garden in the Palmer area which can be easily seen from the Mass
Pike when traveling in the westbound lane - just beyond the
bridge and to the right, at the top of the hill. I suspect you
have seen it many times.
I would really appreciate your help in this matter. Please refer
to my preceding email regarding this matter. The Mary Page
mentioned is located at the University of Dayton and is an
important source for information about Mary.
John Stokes of Philadelphia - founder of Mary's Gardens
(www.mgardens.org) - has been unsuccessful in the past in
obtaining information regarding the Palmer garden.
You might just be THE person who can find out something about the
garden, given your familiarity with the area and your parish
connections in Springfield.
8 Feb 2000.3 Joe to Michael - Initial finding - owned by Fred Brothers
The garden in Warren is owned by Fred Brothers in Warren. I'll
try yp find out more info.
9 Feb 2000.2 John to Michael - 1980 account of discovering shrine
Delighted to receive your message re. the Mass Pike wayside Mary
Garden, and the copy of your message to your friend, Joe, asking
him if he can find out about it.
You may recall that I included mention and a photo of it in my
1997 web site "developmental" article, "Wayside Flowers and
Shrines of Our Lady".
Coming across such Mary Gardens unexpectedly is one of the
special joys of this work.
In my period of 1980-1994 intensive collaboration with just a few
colleagues, I wrote extensively of my daily work and experiences
with Mary's Gardens Partner, Bonnie Roberson, in Hagerman, Idaho
(we exchanged perhaps 100 letters and tapes in that period.)
Here are two excerpts re. the Mass Pike Shrine from my letters to
her. (I visited it several times subsequently, and took about 20
slide photos. A letter to what I judged to be the area parish
asking about it was unanswered.)
THE EXCERPTS:
June 16, 1980
(Dear Bonnie)
Yesterday, I was literally stunned at the sudden brilliance of a
4 foot statue of Our Lady of Grace, at the middle of a 30 foot
crescent bed of bright flowers I passed on the highway, (near)
Palmer, Mass. It was like a vision or a miracle especially as I
was saying my Rosary at the time.
June 24, 1980
Since writing you on June 16 about catching a fleeting glimpse of
a wayside shrine Mary Garden on the Massachusetts Pike while
driving past the day before, I had an opportunity to visit it on
June 20, as a half-hour side trip while returning from a quick
trip to New York.
The striking thing about this wayside shrine is its setting - a
grassy hill rising up to the woods, the other side of a wire
fence, along a stream midst the wayside weeds. It is this grassy
hill - which seemed to be well mowed - which gives the sense of
spaceŠwhich made me feel at first that it was a 30 foot crescent
garden, while actually it is only some 10 feet wide. The
enclosed slide, "A", gives some sense of this, although I now
realize I should have taken it framed horizontally, rather than
vertically.
When we entered the Massachusetts Pike at Sturbridge, 11 miles to
the East, it was raining, but I had a feeling the sun would come
out at the shrine. And, just as we came around a bend in the
highway, there it was in a patch of sun, like a "pot of gold" at
the end of the rainbow.
So, I took the photos rather quickly, before it clouded up again.
As you can recognize, the flowers in bloom were rhododendron,
petunias, alyssum, a geranium, and also a potted golden
chrysanthemum. There were some daisies along the ditch, and also
some hieracium and bluets behind and at the sides of the shrine.
The statue of Our Lady of Grace appeared to be concrete, and
rather recently re-painted. I found the stone pedestal rather
attractively rustic. Also, there was the foliage of fall-blooming
chrysanthemumsŠ or perhaps some other foliage I failed to notice,
and can't recognize from the photos.
What really strikes me about this shrine and garden, Bonnie, is
the thought which was behind it, and also lovingly maintains it.
It has that special Mary Garden quality which I referred to in "A
Garden full of Ave's". It really conveys a sense of love of Our
Lady to all the thousands of travelers driving by each day. And
while I don't believe you can see this from the photos, there are
one or two night flood lights spiked into the ground to one side
(or both sides) at the frontŠwith wiring evidently running under
the ground.
Very possibly there is a house in or beyond the woods, but I
didn't see any. There is no access from the highway, and I had
to climb the fence, or, rather, straddle it.
9 Feb 2000.3 Michael to John
9 Feb 2000.3 Michael to Joe - Thanks for prompt reply
Thanks for the extremely prompt reply. I can assume that you are
very familiar with the shrine to be able to furnish a name so
quickly.
Wonder if Fred Brothers has a website. That would be great!
I am attaching John Stokes' enthusiastic response to the news that
there might be a possibility of obtaining more information about the
shrine. Obviously the shrine has been 'in place' for at least
twenty years. It is amazing that it is still there, and still being
cared for. As you can guess, this shrine in particular is dear to
John because of past memories.
You might be interested to know that the National Council of
Catholic Women is raising funds to install a Mary Garden at the
Shrine of The Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The shrine
will be dedicated in June of this year.
You can view the article "Wayside Flowers and Shrines of Our Lady"
which John mentioned in the attached message. Access the Mary's
Gardens Home Page at www.mgardens.com. Cursor down to the section
titled GARDEN PRAYER AND MEDITATION and then click on the title of
the article near the bottom of the list. I'm sure you will be
pleased to find Fred Brothers' shrine pictured in the article. If,
perchance, Fred has a website, you might pass the information along
to him. He may be unaware that a picture of his shrine is available
on the Internet.
Thanks again for your efforts, and, happy sleuthing! I'll also pray
for MOIRE snow!
11 Feb 2000 Michael to John Joe's and Marie's help
More encouraging news about Fred Brothers' Mary Garden. Please
see the attached e-mail from Joe sent to me this morning.
Marie is Joe's wife. Marie schedules all bus transportation for
the Tantasqua Regional School System in southern Worcester
County: hence, "someone who works with Marie". The school system
encompasses a tier of several towns south of, and parallel to,
the Mass Turnpike, and runs from Sturbridge on the east - where
the turnpike turns south to Hartford, Connecticut - and continues
westward through Wales, Brimfield and Holland. Warren, I believe
, would be on the northwestern end - and above - the Tantasqua
Regional School District.
Most encouraging is the mention of forwarding our email
correspondence to Fred. You will possibly be able to make direct
contact with Fred in the future. I'm sure you would have much to
share with him, since I know how significant this shrine has been
to you - both in the past, and now with the present compilation
of existing Mary's Gardens.
I am inserting your e-mail address here for Fred's benefit, since
I shall forward this note to Joe with this important information:
marysgardens@mgardens.org
I am very pleased with this latest news; especially how helpful
Marie and Joe have been in this matter. Isn't it amazing how God
opens doors, and just at the right time!
11 Feb 2000.2 John to Michael - Father Weiser's promotions
Needless to say, I am "sitting on the edge of my seat" following
your detective work re. the Mass Pike Wayside Mary Garden, and
will eagerly await the further information which it appears will
be forthcoming.
There comes to mind that I was told by a correspondent back in
the 1950's that he/she was informed that Fr. Francis X Weiser,
S.J. of the Jesuit Seminary in central Massachusetts had
mentioned the Flowers of Our Lady and Mary Gardens in several
radio programs and that as a consequence a number of Mary Gardens
had been planted in the area. I wonder if Fred Brothers' Wayside
Mary Garden was one so inspired. I wrote to Fr. Weiser at the
time and he confirmed that he had made the mention over the
radio, but had not been informed of any specific Mary Gardens
planted as a result.
Father Weiser also wrote of a number of the Flowers of Our Lady
in three of his books published around that time, "The Christmas
Book", "Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs" and "The Holy
Day Book". I no longer have them at hand, but mentioned them to
Vincenzina, who looked them up, and they are included in the
bibliography of her "Mary Flowers: Gardens, Legends and
Meditations."
I have at hand 12 color slides of the Mass Pike Wayside Mary
Garden taken in June, 1980, one of which, framing the garden, was
used with the article, "Wayside Flowers and Shrines of Our Lady",
and three of which I attach to this message:
- overview of garden as seen from the highway
- the flowery mead, with "Eyes of Mary" (Houstonia caerulea)
and a few "Our Lady's Paintbrush (Hieracium aurianticum)
- close-up of "Eyes of Mary"
I remember my visit as though it were yesterday.
(3 Photos)
12 Feb 2000 Michael to John - Visualization of article on shrine
It would seem that Fred Brothers' Wayside Mary Garden has quite
an interesting history - given its possible connection with Fr.
Weiser's radio broadcasts.
I don't seem to recall a Jesuit seminary in central
Massachusetts. The Jesuit presence in that area, however, is
well represented by Holy Cross College in Worcester. The College
may be a possible source of information in the matter of Fr.
Weiser, S.J.
If Fred can fill in the early historical details - especially a
connection with Fr. Weiser - along with its developmental
history up to the present day, this would be an outstanding
example of how the goals of Mary's Gardens in encouraging
devotion to Mary as exemplified in the Flowers of Our Lady has
resulted in this long-standing vintage private Mary Garden.
I can visualize a 'NEW' article in the future, complete with
illustration(s) from your slide collection, on this particular
Mary Garden - given the potential for it that exists even at this
early date. Maybe even one that takes the garden through the
four seasons - with a photographic assist from Fred.
12 Feb 2000 Joe to Michael Forwarded information to Fred
We have forwarded the info.
I hope we get a response from Fred.
17 Feb 2000 Joe to Michael - Still trying
Roger was unable to make contact with Frank on Sunday. Also, he
must have an unlisted phone number. Vacation is next week. I'll
see if I can find a way to contact him.
17 Feb 2000.2 Michael to Joe - Thanks for continued efforts
Thanks for continuing in your efforts to make contact with Fred
Brothers. This would be a wonderful connection to an 'original'
Mary Gardener.
17 Feb 2000.3 Michael to John - Still trying
Roger was unable to make contact with Frank on Sunday. Also, he
must have an unlisted phone number. Vacation is next week. I'll
see if I can find a way to contact him.
6 Feb 2000 Joe to Michael - Present care of the shrine
I'm hot on the trail of the story of the shrine on the Mass Pike
in Warren, The people who now take care of the shrine are Diane
and Bud Fontain. I have their phone number and will call them
this weekend. I'll get back to you as soon as I have more info.
6 Mar 2000.2 Joe to Michael - Contact established with Fontaines
Mission accomplished! The shrine is owned by Diane and Bud
Fontaine. It was built by Diane's parents, Al and Eldora Brodeur.
Al constructed the shrine in thanksgiving for the curing of his
wife's cancer.
They live on a dead end street so they placed the statue along
the Pike so it would be visible, hoping to encourage people to
pray the rosary.
There are interesting stories regarding travelers that have
prayed to Mary as a result of seeing the statue. Also, a Boston
TV station broadcast a special on the shrine.
Both parents are now deceased. Diane and Bud are now living on
the property. They gave me permission to pass on their e-mail
address: , , ,
I spent some time talking to Diane. She was very pleasant and
helpful.
6 Mar 2000.3 Michael to Joe - Thanks for heroic efforts
Please accept my sincerest thanks for the heroic efforts you and
Marie have exerted in uncovering the mystery and ownership of the
Mary's Gardens shrine on the Mass Pike. I know I speak for John
Stokes as well on this matter, since this particular shrine has a
warm place in his heart.
I shall contact Diane and Bud and keep you posted on my progress.
With their help, the importance and significance of the shrine to
the Brodeurs and, now, to the Fontaines, can be shared with
others to further inspire devotion to Our Lady.
Thanks again.
6 Mar 2000.4 Michael to John - Will contact Diane and Bud
Here is the latest email from my faithful friend Joe regarding
the Mary's Garden Shrine in Warren, Mass. He is certainly to be
commended on his diligence and degree of success in this matter.
I shall contact Diane and Bud Fontaine and begin a dialogue by
way of introducing them to the significance of their shrine from
the MG perspective, and the Mary's Gardens Project. I am very
pleased that they were so receptive to Joe's inquiry. Hopefully -
through my correspondence with Diane and Bud - a history of the
shrine will evolve. We shall definitely try to arrange a visit
to the shrine this summer, at which time pictures and additional
information may be gleaned.
I shall forward any correspondence to you regarding the Fontaine
shrine. If the time comes, please do the same for me.
6 Mar 2000.5 - Michael to Diane and Bud - First message
Dear Diane and Bud,
Just a brief note of introduction and appreciation.
As one of several Mary's Gardens Associates volunteers throughout
the country, I am pleased to make contact with you both.
My sincere thanks for welcoming my friend Joe DiFabio's inquiry
concerning your family Mary's Garden shrine. I am especially
grateful that we can correspond in the future on this matte.
Thank you for your email address.
I shall contact you in the near future for a longer note.
In the meantime, might I encourage you to read about your shrine
on the Mary's Garden website - and browse at will.
Access the Mary's Garden's Home Page at mgardens.org. Cursor down
to the section titled GARDEN PRAYER AND MEDITATION, and then
click on the article near the bottom of the list titled "Wayside
Flowers and Shrines of Our Lady". A description of the shrine -
and a photograph - is included in this article.
I look forward to learning more about this wonderful shrine which
I, personally, have observed many times in my travels on the Mass
Pike over the years before moving to Florida. We lived in West
Springfield and traveled to my parent's home in Southbridge. We
shall be returning to West Springfield this summer and hope to
meet you both personally.
I'll give you some background on the Mary's Garden Project which
originated at the University of Dayton and which led eventually
to your own personal Mary's Garden. In the meantime, feel free
to contact me.
Until then,
Best Regards,
Michael
7 Mar 2000 Diane & Bud to Michael - Happy to answer questions
Just a few lines to let you know we received your message and
will be happy to answer questions. Neither my husband or I are
very good on the computer so please excuse us.
The statue of Mary is very important to us, but we are also a
little bit frightened of publicity, as my mother was when she was
alive. My parents were simple farmers who had a great amount of
faith as you will see when we can show you some newspaper
articles that were written when they were here.
Once again, I will be happy to answer any of your questions.
Thank you and God bless you!
Sincerely,
Diane Fontaine
7 Mar 2000.2 Michael to Diane and Bud - Mary's Gardens background
Thanks for your kind and prompt reply. By way of setting your
mind at ease, let me briefly tell you about Mary's Gardens.
MG was founded in 1951 by two Philadelphia gentlemen, one of whom
passed away in the '70's. The remaining partner is still alive
and well - and 79 years young.
His name is John Stokes and, if you visit his website at
mgardens.org, you will see that most of the articles about Mary's
Gardens have been written by John.
While John is a convert to Catholicism, his late partner Ed
McTague was of Irish Catholic heritage. They met when John
attended Ed's course in The Postulates of Economics at St.
Joseph's College (now University) Evening Institute of Industrial
Relations in Philadelphia.
John told Ed about how people in the Middle Ages in Europe named
flowers after the Virgin Mary in order to teach the illiterate
people of the time about Mary and her attributes. The modern
lady slipper was once known as Our Lady's Slipper. The modern
marigold was once referred to as Mary's Gold. The tulip was
known as Our Lady's Prayer. Lily-of the-valley was known as Our
Lady's Tears. I can only guess that the lady bug must have once
been known as Our Lady's Bug!
Over the years, John has accumulated a vast amount of research
about the medieval names for flowers - long before the use of
scientific names became common. During these years John's
ministry has been to spread devotion to Our Lady by popularizing
this information about the medieval names of flowers associated
with Our Lady.
His research and articles were placed on the web in 1995 and have
had a great impact - in spite of these efforts being accomplished
singlehandedly from his home in Philadelphia.
I happened to find John's website about a year ago as I was
surfing the web for information about Our Blessed Mother. Since
then, I have become involved in a MG website mapping project.
There are about six other people in various parts of the country
who have met John in this way, and have come to develop an
interest in his work - and have assisted him in different ways.
A book has recently been authored by Vincenzina Krymow, one of
these volunteers, and published by St. Anthony's Messenger Press.
The title is "Mary's Flowers: Gardens, Legends, and Meditations."
John's efforts have born fruit, as you will discover on the
Mary's Garden Home Page. A number of Mary's Gardens now exist in
the United States through the influence and research of this one
man. I'll share more of this later.
This June, a Mary's Garden at the Basilica of the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. will be
dedicated, through the sponsorship of the National Council of
Catholic Women. This is the latest of prominent gardens of this
nature to be established. One of the first in this country was
established at St. Joseph's Church in Woods Hole, MA in the
1930's. It is still in existence and we hope to visit it this
summer.
John's interest in your garden stems from his frequent trips on
the pike between Boston and Philadelphia on business trips in the
'80's. He was fascinated by the fact that a wayside garden in
honor of Our Lady would have been privately established. This
was during the years of growing research, and he wondered if the
people who established the garden (your parents) were aware of
the rich heritage behind the names of flowers named for Our Lady.
The Marianist Fathers at the University of Dayton in Dayton Ohio,
have a large collection of Marian information on their Mary Page
website. With the growing interest in Mary's Gardens, Fr. Roten
asked John to begin a list of known Mary's Gardens throughout the
world. Large Mary's Gardens exist at the Knock Shrine in Ireland,
and at Akita, in Japan.
It was this project that led me to think about your garden in
Warren. As you may have gathered from reading John's article
which I mentioned last evening, this particular garden has been
close to his heart. Hence Joe DiFabio helping me to find its
owners.
I appreciate your offer to share the wondrous history and events
associated with your parents' shrine, and I admire you both for
sustaining it these many years.
Please rest assured that John's interest in the shrine is purely
to learn about the only private Mary's Garden wayside shrine -
and its interesting story available for study - and the
inspiration and faith that brought it into existence originally.
Your family privacy will be strictly respected, and there is no
intention in making any information you would not wish to share
public. We are more interested in knowing about the 'personal'
story of your shrine for its own sake.
I look forward to learning more about this shrine and have been
tantalized by the few bits of information revealed so far. Thanks
again for your kind reply.
8 Mar 2000 John to Diane and Bud - First contact
Dear Diane and Bud,
I was most pleased to receive my forwarded copy of Michael
Holden's e-mail message to you of March 6th regarding your Mass
Pike wayside Mary-Shrine.
As you will see from the excerpts from some letters I wrote to a
friend in Idaho in 1980, which I will add at the end of this
message, I came upon the shrine that year and made some
unsuccessful attempts to find out who cared for it. If I had
walked further up the road leading from the shrine I would
probably have come upon your house, but I did not want to leave
my car unattended at the side of the pike.
I have been studying and growing the Flowers of Our Lady for some
50 years, and, as I described in the letter excerpts, it was a
great joy to come upon your shrine. You may have read by now
what I also wrote about it in the 1997 article, "Wayside Flowers
and Shrines of Our Lady", posted, with photo, to our Mary's
Gardens Internet web site, at
www.mgardens.org.
Joseph DiFabio, who kindly sought out information about the
shrine from you for my colleague, Michael Holden, to whom I had
mentioned it, has informed us of learning that the shrine was
built, Diane, by your Father Al Brodeur, in thanksgiving for
your mother, Eldora Brodeur' cure from cancer, and that "there
are interesting stories regarding travelers that have prayed to
Mary as a result of seeing the statue. Also, a Boston TV station
broadcast a special on the shrine."
Do you have a videotape of the TV broadcast, of which you would
be willing to have a copy made for me? Or if not would you be
able to inform me of the name of the TV station and the date or
approximate date of the broadcast so I could write to them to see
if they could provide a copy? Could you write me a brief
description from memory of the content of the broadcast? We are
archiving information on notable Mary Gardens for the Marian
Library at the University of Dayton, in Dayton, Ohio, and would
like to obtain a copy for them.
Our postal address is:
Mary's Gardens
Box 30290
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Also the Mary Page of the Marian Library website, at
www.udayton.edu/mary/main.html
is developing a listing of notable Mary Gardens, and persons to
contact about them. Would you be willing to have them list your
names and e-mail address for those interested to contact? Some
do not wish to provide such information for reasons of privacy,
and we understand and respect this, so if not, the Mary Page
would simply list the location of the shrine on the Mass Pike.
On the other hand, those with a mutual interest in the Flowers of
Our Lady develop warm relations, and keep in touch by e-mail.
Finally, Dianne, when was the shrine built? And do you recall if
your Father had any particular inspiration for building the it -
such as from a friend, or from a magazine article or radio
broadcast - or was it an original expression of his love for Our
Lady and thanksgiving for your mother's cure?
Hoping for the favor of a reply, and with prayerful best wishes
for a holy Lent, I remain,
Sincerely yours, in Our Lady
John Stokes Mary's Gardens
"Look on the flower, think of Mary."
(Excerpt from 1980 letters to Bonnie Roberson, per June 16, 1980,
above)
9 Mar 2000 Michael to John - Re. John's exchanges with Diane and Bud
Received your email to Diane and Bud.
I'm off to school momentarily and will make this brief.
I have 2 or 3 emails exchanged between me and Diane and Bud which
I shall download and sent to you later today.
They have received a great deal of attention in the past
regarding the shrine, and have expressed the thought that they
are "a bit frightened of publicity". We probably want to 'take
it slow' in opening up a dialogue with them - as my email
implies. They also need to be assured of the intent and use
behind requesting information from them.
I may have jumped the gun in implying that I would contact them
later regarding more information (see last night's e mail).
However, I felt not rushing and giving them time to acclimate to
this new development would be more productive. I was going to
even suggest that I guide them through a journal of their
experiences - since they expressed the thought that they were not
completely comfortable with computers.
I need guidance from you on my role and how I can help in this
matter. My Massachusetts home is less than ten miles from the
shrine. Retiring at the end of May gives me no set timetable to
return to Florida this summer and so, if you wish, I can spend
some time with the Fontaines, at which time they would probably
share their collection of newspaper articles on the shrine.
It may or may not be easier for them to provide information to
one destination. Your kind and wise thoughts on how to proceed.
The emails to Bonnie are great reminiscences and I'm glad you
have shared them with the Fontaines. A whole new world is
opening up to them this week.
9 Mar 2000.2 Michael to John - Diane's and Bud's concerns for privacy
FYI. the e-mails mentioned in this morning's message. Please
note their concerns. We don't want to violate their trust in
publicizing their web address. My cc to you was for
informational purposes only.
10 Mar 2000 Michael to Diane and Bud - Michael will be the contact
I have received John Stokes' email to you asking for several bits
of personal information about your family shrine. I was
initially alarmed, given your concerns about 'publicity'.
I feel obligated to offer a personal apology to you both for
possibly violating the confidence you placed in Joe DiFabio - and
me - by initially giving Joe your permission for me to use your
e-mail address to contact you about the shrine.
My sole intention in contacting John Stokes was only to inform
him of our progress.
If you have responded to John's requests for information, I can
assume you have not been offended by his request - and do not
consider his contact with you a violation of this trust. If you
wish to continue talking to me about the shrine, I would be
pleased and honored.
My concern is that you have inquiries coming form two sources -
and this could be overwhelming, confusing, and superfluous.
Please let me know your feelings and preference on this matter,
since I do not wish to jeopardize our new friendship.
With best wishes, and another apology...
10 Mar 2000.2 Michael to Joe - Michael will be the contact
I have sent an apology to Diane and Bud since I felt the
appearance of John's email to them was a breach of the trust they
had placed in you regarding the use of their address. My fault -
since I only intended to inform him of our progress.
I shall also send him a request later to avoid emails to you -
since this is not your personal computer. Our emails have been
brief for that reason. Your last one was only two words long - a
third longer had you not used a contraction!!!
10 Mar 2000.3 Diane to Michael - First details about shrine
I have to admit that I am a bit overwhelmed with all this
news about my Dad's statue and with trying to learn the computer,
so much so that I mistakenly deleted John Stokes letter. I had
copied it, but am not sure where to send his email. You have no
need to apologize though. I have no problem with answering
questions. My main concern about publicity is that I have been
frightened a few times (after newspaper articles about Mary's
statue appeared in newspapers) with people who came and seemed a
little bit fanatical and talked about getting people to donate
money etc. I know that that is not what my parents wanted. I am
not quite ready to put our email on the web, but perhaps a little
later on I will. I am very happy to answer any questions you or
Mr. Stokes have and welcome Mr. DiFabio and his family and you
and Mr. Stokes to come visit the shrine. We are quite busy with
family and do go away in the summer quite often, but you need
only to call or email and we can set up a time.
I will try to gather together the newspaper articles and
video tape to share with you . It may take me a little while as
I will have to have one of our children copy the tape. (The poor
kids have to do everything that deals with electronics for us.)
I'll try to give you a little more information now and hope
that you will share it with Mr. Stokes and Mr. DiFabio.
My mother had breast cancer in 1963. She was a very strong
person and handled it beautifully. My Dad on the other hand was
having a very hard time with it. He was a chain smoker and
enjoyed a drink and promised to give up both if she recovered. He
did that and then (I'm not positive of the year) but in 1964 or
1965 he decided to erect the statue on his property next to the
turnpike to inspire people to pray the rosary. He was a farmer,
but not a handy man at all. We used to tease him a bit because
our mother often told him how to do the handy work. However, he
put up the statue on his own using stone from the walls of the
farm. We also teased him about that, saying that the Blessed
Mother must have kept those stones together herself all these
years. The idea was all his own, but I'm sure my mother guided
him a little bit too.
There are numerous nice stories of people who have stopped
there through the years, but I will save those for later.
My mother died in 1981 after a hard struggle with another
cancer. The Blessed Virgin, her Son and I'm sure all the saints
in heaven were with her through it all as she never uttered a
word of complaint. My father had a hard time, and a couple years
later he remarried, but before he did he turned the farm over to
my brother, Alfred A. Brodeur. He is single and not too handy
either so he asked my husband and I to live at the farm and
caretake it. He lives up the road from us. Anyway, now it is my
husband, Bud who cares for the property and around the statue. I
guess I've rambled, sorry. When I write about my parents, I have
to look through the tears as they were wonderful parents and I
miss them even though I know where they are and that they still
help me every day.
My Dad died in November of 1998 at the age of 88. When he
was really failing toward the end and I knew how much he would
love to see his Mary one more time, I expressed my feelings to my
husband. As always, Bud always figures out a way. He took out
his old tractor with a bucket on the front, padded it with rugs,
lowered it to the ground so that my Dad and I could sit in it,
raised it up a bit and drove us up to the statue. A very short
time after my Dad had to go to a nursing home where he died 11
months later.
I'm sorry if I've rambled on too much. If you have
questions, please feel free to ask them and I'll try in the
future not to give you more information than you're probably
looking for.
God bless you!
10 Mar 2000.4 John to Michael - Joy over first information
You write on March 9th, with attachments:
> FYI. re. the emails mentioned in this morning's message.
> Please note their concerns. We don't want to violate
> their trust in publicizing their web address.
> My cc to you was for informational purposes only.
Sorry I jumped the gun with my message to the Fontains. I
misinterpreted the statement in Joe's message to you of March 6th
which you forwarded that "They gave me permission to pass on
their e-mail address" to indicate they would welcome e-mail
correspondence from any of us.
I treasure the copies of your beautiful exchange of messages with
the Fontains you forwarded, and will of course comply with your
thoughtful counsel that our communications with them should be
through just one of us - of course, through you.
Their simple faith, shining through their message to you, is the
very stuff of true devotion to Our Lady, as set forth by St.
Louis de Montfort: interior, tender, holy, constant,
disinterested - and is what is at the heart of Mary Gardening.
A joy that your follow-through in searching for those behind this
shrine has uncovered this treasure of Marian spirituality, and I
indeed hope they will be disposed, as you gain their confidence,
as neighbor (when in Massachusetts) and friend, to share their
file of clippings etc. regarding the shrine with you.
Prayerful best wishes to you for a holy Lent.
10 Mar 2000 Michael to John - A treasure of Marian spirituality
Thanks for your reassuring email this morning regarding our
relationship with Diane and Bud Fontaine, and how to proceed with
this unique opportunity..
Establishing a friendly and reassuring rapport with the Fontaines
will - I suspect - bear much fruit.
Since this is the only private Mary Garden shrine that we know of
where we can construct a personal record and history
demonstrating as you said "their simple faith, shining through
their message to you, is the very stuff of true devotion to Our
Lady, as set forth by St. Louis de Montfort", this correspondence
may well prove to evolve into a classic in its own right on this
subject.
I received a beautiful response from Diane yesterday. Here is an
important excerpt on publicity and the need to approach this
opportunity discreetly:
" My main concern about publicity is that I have been
frightened a few times (after newspaper articles about
Mary's statue appeared in the newspapers) with people
who came and seemed a little bit fanatical and talked
about getting people to donate money. I know that this
is not what my parents wanted."
I guess we don't want to encourage another event such as has
taken place at other shrines - Lourdes coming to mind. It is
also important to note that no apparitions took place at the
Fontaine shrine, and no headlines occurred at the shrine either.
All matters revolved around - but did not take place at - the
shrine. Therefore, the whole story will involve reminiscences of
events and healings resulting from acts of faith of which the
existence of the shrine is a symbol.
Another amusing excerpt - which I know you will appreciate, and
probably is typical of these treasured memories - is the
following:
"My Dad died in November of 1998 ath the age of 88.
When he was really failing toward the end and I knew
how much he would love to see his Mary one more time,
I expressed my feelings to my husband. As always, Bud
always figures out a way. He took out his old tractor
with a bucket on the front, padded it with rugs, lowered
it to the ground so that my Dad and I could sit in it,
raised it up a bit and drove us up to the statue. A
very short time after my Dad had to go to a nursing home
where he died 11 months later".
Is this not a "treasure of Marian spirituality" in the making?
And of excellent prose!
More later; I have a date for lunch with someone very special (my
wife Bernadette) - and I'm late!
12 Mar 2000 Michael to Diane and Bud - Let the Holy Spirit guide us
I did not want another day to go by without acknowledging and
thanking you for your prompt and inspiring email.
I am on vacation from school this coming week and will write more
in response to it later.
Please do not feel 'overwhelmed'. John Stokes has agreed that all
correspondence and sharing about your shrine take place between
you and me. This should set you mind at ease regarding this.
If you wish to send John the e-mail you composed to him, his
email address is
marysgardens@mgardens.org
If you do, please send me a copy 'for the record'. You may do so
my typing my e-mail address in the box labeled CC: This way, a
complete record of correspondence on the shrine will be collected
in one place.
I have sent John two excerpts from your Friday email: the concern
you have about the people who seemed ' a bit fanatical' (I
thought this was important for him to appreciate), and the
wonderful story of Bud and the tractor.
I have suggested to John - and he has agreed - that your sharing
about the shrine is a personal gift and should in no way involve
publicity about the shrine. What ultimately results from our
sharing should meet with the complete approval of you and Bud,
and your family - and what purpose God might have.
Our goal now should be to record the happy as well as sad
experiences surrounding the shrine for its own sake, since the
establishment of the shrine by your parents is, in the words of
John Stokes in his email of yesterday "the very stuff of true
devotion to Our Lady, as set forth by St. Louis de Montfort:
interior, tender, holy, constant, disinterested - and is what is
at the heart of Mary Gardening". It is the only Mary Garden
shrine we know of that possesses such a wonderful family history
and is a classic example of a personal and family work of Faith.
In regard to putting your email on the web, may I make a few
comments on this. At present, you can be contacted via email by
only those to whom you give your email address. This insures
access to it by friends and relatives with whom you can easily be
in contact personally, and who can get in touch with you also.
I have a missionary friend in Papua New Guinea whom I can talk to
as easily as I talk to you - even though he is half-way around
the world. We are sharing about a new library added to the
seminary there, and his attempts to furnish it with shelves,
furniture and books for the native seminarians there in New
Guinea.
He has been there for thirty years. His address is his personal
email address - not a website - which, if it were, would give
him no control over who contacts him.
'Putting your email on the web' implies setting up a website that
anyone can access if they choose. A website would be set up for
a particular purpose, as the mgardens.org website for Mary's
Gardens - to which anyone coming across it can access. Personal
correspondence does not require a 'website'. Anyway, enough of
that! If you have questions on this, I'll be glad to expand and
clarify.
Let's let the Holy Spirit lead and guide us in this project.
Everything should be done according to His timetable - and
without feeling 'overwhelmed'.
Thanks again for your e-mail. I shall contact you early this
coming week with a reply, specifically about your precious family
reminiscences.
P.S. Have you accessed the article on the Mary's Gardens website
yet about your family garden written by John in 1997? If not,
here are the directions again:
1) go to Internet access, and type the address
mgardens.org to reach the Mary's Garden website.
Give it about ten seconds to fully download.
2) cursor down to the section titled GARDEN PRAYER
AND MEDITATION
3) click on the title Wayside Flowers and Shrines
of Our Lady
4) there are two pictures: one of a garden in Wareham,
and yours in Warren
5) the email John Stokes sent to you with the
attachments about seeing your shrine in June of
1980, were addressed to Bonnie Roberson in Idaho
who - up until her death - had a huge herb garden
filled with herbs named after Our Lady. It was Bonnie
who pioneered the idea of dish Mary Gardens for
back yards, schools, and shut-ins. I'll give you the
directions for articles on Bonnie at another time.
15 Mar 2000 Michael to Diane and Bud - Further questions
This week's vacation has delayed my follow-up of Sunday's email.
We have done some day tripping and, I must admit, it is a welcomed
change from the structured routine of teaching school. However,
here I am again.
In spite of my warning to you not to be 'overwhelmed', I find
myself likewise overwhelmed by the wonderful history associated
with your family shrine to Our Lady. John thought it was a
statue of Our Lady of Grace. Is he correct?
Please do not feel embarrassed by 'rambling on too much'. Thoughts
and stories which come to mind at a moment's notice should
probably be pursued and written down before they vanish.
Sometimes it is difficult to reconstruct a memory the second time
- something is not quite the same. Again, having a written
record of it will also assist in expanding upon that memory -
when it is reread again at a later time. So if you ramble, I'll
be pleasantly surprised!
I don't know where to continue or begin. I thought maybe taking
things in sequence would be a good idea. However, when a thought
triggers another memory, it should be pursued, even if it takes
your thoughts in a different direction. Again, capturing a
thought is probably the intent of the Holy Spirit and should not
be ignored.
You are graciously open to questions so I might jump in to things
by asking about your mother's illness - this would be the
sequence approach!! (With diversion, if you think of them!)
My understanding is that your mother was healed of cancer once,
due in no small way to your father's great personal sacrifice.
Would you care to share about these events, and how your Dad came
to his self-sacrificing decision? I expect the most wonderful
memory would be the events surrounding her healing.
You also alluded to his building of the shrine and how Our Lady
must have been the one to keep it from falling down. Could you
share your memories on the building of the shrine, especially why
your Dad chose such an undertaking. Was he devoted to Mary?
Also, it might be interesting to record where the statue came
from. Was it one already in the family? Did it have a special
meaning before your mother took sick?
My wife, Bernadette, needs help making a meatloaf! Must sign
off. Anticipate your next reply.
19 Mar 2000 Diane to Michael - Gathering information from family
We're happy you got to have a little vacation! I am working on
gathering the information which I think is important about my
parents and their statue. I have contacted my sister and her
children , my brother, and my children asking them all for a
little input. I'm sure they have memories that I don't and they
are all so important to my parents that I wanted to do this. As
I get letters from them, I will try to forward them to to. ( I
will print them first just in case I don't succeed.) You can do
as you wish with the information. As you can see, my vocabulary
and writing skills are very limited, and I know that you can put
all of the information together beautifully. I also went to
Staples yesterday and copied some old newspaper articles that
will give you information, but I don't believe I have an address
to mail them to.
The letter I will forward to you now (hopefully) is from my
sister, Jeanne's son. He is the oldest grandchild of my parents
and my sister, her husband, George (now deceased) and her
children were living with my parents at the time the statue went
up. They had moved back here from California when my Mom got sick
and were waiting to find an apartment. I hope this works for you.
God bless you and your family!
16 Mar 2000 Diane to nephew Mark Baptiste - Request for information
Dear Mark,
As you may already know, I have been contacted by some people who
are gathering information about Pepere's statue. Would you
please email to me the memories you have of when Pep was putting
it up and anything else about it that you wish to share. Of
course, this is only if you want to. It's going to take me a
long time and a lot of e-mailing, but when I get all the info to
the man I'm dealing with he will be putting it together for the
Marianist Fathers at the University of Dayton where they have a
website on Mary's gardens. Please join me in prayer to the Holy
Spirit that we do this right, also to Pepere and Memere to guide
me to do as they would. Thanks for your time. I know how busy you
are. Please give our love to all your family!
Auntie Dodo
19 Mar 2000.3 Mark to Diane - Memories of grandfather
Auntie Dodo,
Thanks for doing this project on Pepere's shrine to Mary. It's a
lot of work for you. It will be a nice remembrance of Pepere and
Memere. I wish my memory were clearer. I do recall going with
Pepere and my brother David to the site near the Turnpike.
Pepere showed us the spot in the clearing where Reed Street used
to run, which could be seen clearly from the turnpike. That's
where he wanted to place the small white statue of the Blessed
Mother. He wanted it high enough to be seen well so we would
build a pedestal for her to stand on. We gathered stones from
the woods and brush nearby and brought them to the spot. Pepere
carefully selected the ones he wanted and showed us where to
stack them to build a round base. He mixed some cement (I can't
remember if it was in buckets or a little trough. We must have
used water from the brook just down the hill), and carefully
troweled it in among the stones to hold the base together. When
it was just the right height, he built up a little mound of
cement and then carefully set the base of the statue of Mary so
she stood straight and faced the Turnpike.
For many years as I travelled with my family to visit relatives
and friends in Eastern Massachusetts We developed a ritual of
calling, "statue on the right" as we passed her. All the kids
would sit up or wake up to see, and think of Pepere and Memere on
the farm we were passing. It always reminds me to say a prayer
of thanksgiving as we pass. Thanks to Pepere, she's reminded
thousands of others to do the same.
I remember how strongly Pepere's faith in God and devotion to the
Blessed Mother were shown that day, in the care he put into
building that shrine. I remember praying thanks to God for
giving my brothers and sister and me the chance to get to know
firsthand the love of Memere and Pepere, our grandparents. I am
also thankful that because of Memere's return to health, my wife
Jan and my boys got to know her. And though Melissa was born
just after Memere died, (Memere knew somehow that she would be a
girl) she was born on Pepere's birthday and always had a special
bond with her "twin". Thanks again for doing this project on the
shrine. I'm glad it's there to remind travelers to think of God
and as a reminder of his love for our family. Hope you and Uncle
Bud are well. Love to the family.
Mark
19 Mar 2000.2 Diane to Michael - Whole Family excited about project
Here I am again! I'm really sorry for doing this, but every time
I get the computer all shut down I think of things I should have
said and this time I've decided to get back on to tell you that I
realize that I'm probably sending you much more that you're
looking for and it's perfectly all right for you to just use what
you want to. Our whole family is a little bit excited about
this and I think we see it as a way to pay tribute to two
wonderful people of faith who lived their life for each other,
their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and just
about everyone they knew.
To better answer your question about my mother's illness I will
give you my memory of that time. You will see more from her in
the newspaper article. She had stopped working about 2 years
before. She had been a cashier in the local A&P in our very
small town. I was expecting our 3rd child and when we would come
to visit, which was very often as we lived only about 1 mile
away, I noticed that she was very tired, sometimes nodding off as
we spoke. She was so quiet and never complained, but one day
told me that she had been to the Dr. and that she would be going
for a mastectomy. I was very frightened, but she never let on
that she was and her strength got all of us through her bad time.
A year later, I don't even know how we knew that she was cured. I
think it was because my father and she just knew it as it was
only after 5 years that the doctors said she was. My father was
always devoted to Mary and my mother to St. Joseph. I remember
saying the rosary together after supper every night while we were
doing supper dishes. It's a good thing that today I know how
understanding Our Lord and His Blessed Mother are because back
then I had fears of burning in hell for the laughing fits I would
have because every little thing seemed funny at that time.
Well, I promise I will not turn the computer back on today, but I
don't promise not to send more stories because as you said, one
memory sparks another. In case you're wondering, I am 59 years
old, my brother is 67 and my sister is 69. My mother was 691/2
when she died on February 16, 1981 and my father was 871/2 when he
died on November 4, 1998.
Wishing you a great day!
19 Mar 2000.4 Michael to John - Amazing results!
Correspondence with Diane Fontaine on the family shrine has
produced some amazing results. In reviewing my notebook on the
"Fontaine Mary Garden", I counted 43 e-mails so far, beginning with
the mention of the Warren shrine to Vincenzina on February 7th,
to three e-mails today from Diane.
The 'amazing' results include contacting "my sister and her
children, my brother, and my children asking them all for a
little input". An especially interesting note today reads: "our
whole family is a little bit excited about this and I think we
see it as a way to pay tribute to two wonderful people of
faith..." Diane's mother died in 1981; her father was 87 when he
died on November 4, 1998.
My purpose in writing to you today is to ask if you would like me
to forward the email exchanges between me and Diane? I know they
are numerous and lengthy - and will only scratch the surface if
one considers the letters and newspaper clipping she intends to
send me.
("I also went to Staples yesterday and copied some old newspaper
articles that will give you information...") However, they are so
informative that I almost think you would like to keep up-to-date
(even from the sidelines) on what is happening with this project.
However, still, I don't want to clutter up your 'mailbox'.
By being familiar with our progress and exchanges, you might also
suggest pertinent questions or considerations for me to ask which
may escape me. I don't want this to be an additional burden on
you, but I thought you might like to be kept posted, at least. I
shall be willing to handle all correspondence, but do not want it
to keep piling up without your knowledge and good counsel
concerning this unusual opportunity.
My impression so far is that this shaping up into a combination
of St. Therese's "Story of a Soul", and Frances Hodgson Burnett's
turn-of-the-century classic "The Secret Garden". I don't quite
know where it's going, or where it will end, but certainly
appears to be a story of "two wonderful people of faith who lived
their life for each other, their children, grandchildren, great
grandchildren, and just about everyone they knew" ( email 3-19).
We have to contend with maintaining their privacy, on the one
hand, and organizing the research into a useful lesson on the
impact of Marian spirituality.
"My father was always devoted to Mary and my mother
to St. Joseph. I remember saying the rosary together
after supper every night..."
Your kind thoughts and advice on this matter.
20 Mar 2000 Diane to Michael - Forwarding letter from Becky
The next letter I''m forwarding is from our youngest daughter,
Becky.
She was born in 1971 and is the next to the youngest of my
parents grandchildren. She lives about a mile away from us now.
Since we moved here , to Sunnybrook Farm, our middle daughter,
Melanie Stanton and her husband Richard bought the little house
where Bud and I brought up our family-a mile up the road from my
parents. Then our oldest daughter Lisa Gerstel and her husband,
Dana built a house on that same property and a few years later,
Rebecca and her husband, Christopher Jones built a house between
Melanie and Lisa's, so our 3 daughters and their families are
very close. Our son, Joseph, lives with his wife , Laura and
their 3 children in Montpelier, VT. There is a lot left for him
here near his sisters should he ever decide to move back, but we
doubt that will happen as he loves VT.
I will send Rebecca's letter now. I'm asking St. Joseph's
blessings for you and your project today.
19 Mar 2000.4 Becky to Diane - Letter from Becky
The first memories I have of visiting Mary are walking up the
soft mossy path picking handfuls of little wildflowers along the
way to lay at her feet. We (Pepere and I) would say a prayer. I
would always wonder exactly what he was saying in his loud
whisper of half French half English prayers but I could tell by
his solemn face that he meant what he was asking of her. My
usual requests were for World peace and to take care of my
family. After our prayers we would always take a few minutes to
make the trailer trucks on the Massachusetts Turnpike honk.
I can remember being so amazed that Pepere went to her everyday
and prayed. At that time it seemed to me like a very long walk.
My most recent and fondest memory was seeing Pepere, though he
was not able to make the walk, riding in the bucket of my
father's old blue tractor, even though he was petrified, up the
path to visit Mary. His dedication to her was always that
strong. He made a promise to her for prayers of his that were
answered and he never broke it.
I now have the pleasure of taking my three sons up the path to
visit Mary, and telling them the story of why she is there. I
know they might not understand it now but when they get older
they will and I hope they pass it on to their children like it
has been passed on to many. Of course, each time our prayers are
finished, we have to stop and make the trailer trucks on the Mass
Pike honk.
I hope that our Mary will stay where she is forever as a
reminder to all of the people who pass by and see her to have
faith and hope and to pray.
Rebecca Jones
20 Mar 2000 Michael to Diane = Rebecca's letter precious
Thank you for the insight into your father's unswerving
spirituality and dedication to Our Lady as shared by Rebecca in
today's email. As these individual stories accumulate, the more
a framework appears to be forming in which to place all these
wonderful memories.
You are fortunate to be surrounded by so many family members.
Sunnybrook Farm must cover a substantial area. This proximity of
family members provides a great opportunity to easily share about
family memories surrounding the shrine.
Does the bridge over the turnpike to the west of the shrine carry
the new route for Reed Street, part of which I guess now is a
private section of the original road which traversed the farm and
now dead ends at the shrine?
My wife Bernadette and I were amused to think that waving to the
truck drivers on the turnpike became a joyful ritual and that it
still continues! I wonder how many people stop by the side of
the road and visit the shrine as John Stokes did in the 1980's.
How far from the nearest house on your farm is the actual shrine?
Rebecca's expanded details about your father's visit to the
shrine are precious. She notes that the tractor was blue, and
that "he was petrified."; priceless and important details to your
family history. Does Bud still use the tractor, or is it no
longer a working farm?
Is Bud the official caretaker of the family shrine, planting,
pruning, etc. or is this a family project in which some of the
younger members of the family help out? With Spring here he must
have begun plans for preparing the shrine for the steady stream
of travelers along the turnpike who anticipate his extraordinary
handiwork. How does he go about rejuvenating the shrine each
spring and deciding on the variety of plants? Is it still
illuminated at night, or during certain times of the year?
As you may now know - after surfing the Mary's Gardens website -
each plant and flower has a Marian name. I suspect Bud, and your
entire family, would be curious about these Marian names. There
are several articles on the website which contain lists of
flowers and the equivalent Marian names. If you would like, I
can send you hard copies of the articles via postal mail for Bud
to look over and enjoy.
Enough for now! I'm sure St. Joseph will take notice of this
project - after all, Mary was his beloved spouse.
20 Mar 2000.2 Michael to John - Forwarding note from Rebecca
As a follow-up to last evening's email, I am forwarding to you
this sample of the memories coming from members of the Fontaine
family.
This note was sent to Diane by her youngest daughter, Rebecca.
I thought you might especially enjoy the last two paragraphs.
20 Mar 2000.3 John to Michael - Beautiful expressions of simple faith
Yes, I indeed hasten to accept your offer to forward to me copies
of the email exchanges between you and Diane, etc..
Through the years we have received many penciled notes on scraps
of paper from people requesting information on Our Lady's flowers
that have a word or two or a sentence that discloses a profound
simple faith in Our Lady, but these exchanges from Diane -
nurtured through your tender, loving care - are a unique,
beautiful expression of such faith in writing, made possible in
the context of the Mass Pike Wayside Shrine.
They can be, and are already, a treasure inspiring to all of us
similarly attuned, but who are perhaps of more convoluted
expression. As you allude to, "The story of a Soul" is an
instance where such simple, loving faith was put into the written
word. Bonnie Roberson was sensed to be such a person by all who
came into contact with her or received her letters, and I have
perhaps 100 taped letters from her that Paula has offered to
transcribe after we get our written correspondence in digital
form.
These will be the real treasures of Mary's Gardens, not my
apologias - necessary as these may be to present the Flowers of
Our Lady to the more critical and scrupulous devotees, and
non-devotees.
I hope before too long to be able to set up a Simple Devotion and
Photo Sharing "Chat Room" (not the right words) section on the
web site - for which the tone could set the tone with some of the
one or two sentence "testimonials" I typed up in 50 pages or so
from our first four years' inquiry and order letters - in which
I will look to you for assistance.
20 Mar 2000.4 - Diane to Michael (paper) - Here are the newspaper articles
Dear Michael,
Here are the newspaper articles I told you I would send. I
have to add some feelings concerning the last one of 10/19/97 . We
aren't sure that we like the white arbor around Mary. Mr Ruggero
has wonderful intentions and he did pay for the material (Bud built
it) and the new bridge, which Bud also built, is wonderful. My Dad
agreed for it all to be done, but most of us in the family liked
seeing Mary there among the trees etc. We think that some time in
the future, when it can't offend Mr. Ruggero, we will take the arbor
down. We're not sure.
You said in your e-mail that you plan in coming here this
summer and we will enjoy meeting with you then. Bud and I have a
trailer in Westerly, R.I. where we spend a lot of summer time, butwe
can be home on the farm any time. I an giving you our home phone
no. (we have none in R.I.) so that you have more than e-mail to let
us know when you know you're coming (_________).
I also ant to take the time to thank you so much for what you
are doing and please be assured of ur prayers for your intentions
when we visit Our Lady.
Sincerely, Diane
P.S. I just thought of another bit of information that might
interest you. My mother made many hundreds of rosaries, some for
the Rosary Makers and some for family and friends, from right after
her first illness in 1963 to almost up to her death.
21 Mar 2000 Diane to Michael - Further information
Today I will put the newspaper articles in the mail to you, but
now I will try to answer a few questions.
Sunnybrook Farm covers about 160 acres-some on both sides of the
turnpike. The bridge west of the shrine is New Reed St which
continues east to meet Reed St. (where we used to live and our
daughters now live. Their property was not part of Sunnybrook,
but part of the "little" 18 acre farm that Bud and I had bought
to not be too far from my parents) and we are now on Old Reed St.
which part of goes to W. Brimfield and the other here to the dead
end. The town owns and maintains to our barn, but has turned the
rest of the way to the statue over to us which is why we have to
maintain the wooden bridge to get there. It is about 1/4 mile
from our house to the shrine.
Yes, Bud uses the blue tractor quite a lot. He bought it not too
long after we moved here because it had the bucket on it which he
uses to haul the wood we heat with, to pound down fence post etc
etc. We also use the old red Farmall that my dad bought around
the early 1950's, but it is the blue Ford that helps Bud the
most. In 1985-86 Bud had two major back operations, a heart
attack and by-pass surgery all within 11 months. He returned to
work 6 months after the by-pass only to be carried out again this
time with pericarditis. After 25 years at Warren Pumps Inc. he
was forced to leave due to poor health, but I think he's much
healthier now than he was then and I also know why. Dad's
Blessed Mother takes care of him and he does take good care of
her.
We do keep a few animals just for our own meat and a few for pets
for the grandchildren. We just sold the 2 little beef calves we
had this time though as they were not growing as we would have
liked. In the fall we will buy 1 or 2 more Angus calves from a
farmer we know and like his animals.
Most of the flowers at the shrine are put there by strangers and
we try to take care of them. Yes, many people stop on the pike
and cross the fence to the statue. It's funny, but the turnpike
people never repair where the fence is pushed down and little
steps have been sort of gauged out of the banking. We had given
honeysuckle bushes to my parents years ago and planted them
behind her, but they too over and we had to remove them a few
years ago.
The statue is illuminated every night all year. We used to have
it on a timer in the barn which often went on or off at the wrong
time. Now we have an automatic sensor on it which works much
better.
I have enjoyed seeing some of the Marian names for flowers. I
especially noted bluets, Mary's eyes as there are so many of them
on the way to and at the statue. I am not good with flowers at
all, but our oldest daughter, Lisa, is quite the gardener. She's
a teacher's aide at our local elementary school and is in a hurry
for summer vacation so she can study more of the Mary's Garden
website.
A little more about the lighting of the statue-My sister's family
, brother, we and our Aunt and Uncle (Joseph and Yvonne Brunell)
from Worcester gave that to my parents for a wedding anniversary
gift. It was quite a project as we had to dig to put the wire
underground from our barn to the statue. My Brunell cousins
along with their parents all contributed either by buying some of
the material or helping us dig. My Aunt Yvonne (my mother's
sister) has since died. Without their help we probably would not
have been able to do the job.
Well, I'd better close this now so that I can go get ready to go
down town to get the newspaper articles in the mail. I still
don't have the video tape copied, but will mail it as soon as I
do.
God bless you and Bernadette!
22 Mar 2000 Diane to Michael - Phone message from nephew David
My nephew, David Baptiste, phoned me today to tell me his
memories of helping his Pepere put up the statue along with the
other grandchildren and especially his older brother Mark (you
have Mark's already).
Dave remembers using an old red wagon to pull the stones in. At
the site he helped Pep mix the cement (couldn't remember in what)
and helped with putting up the base with instructions from
Pepere, but when it came time to put the top and Mary on he
remembers telling Pepere that he should do that himself because
it was his thing that he was doing for Memere.
David was 11 years old at the time. He asked me to type this for
him as he's a little uncomfortable writing himself, but the above
are his words.
Thank you again for all that you are doing. I'm sure you will be
very blessed by our Blessed Mother!
23 Mar 2000 Diane to Michael - Forwarding letter from niece Laura
The letter I just forwarded was from Laura (Baptiste) Mullein, my
sister's 3rd child. She is 39 years old and lives with her
husband James in West Springfield.
Have a great day!
23 Mar 2000.2 Laura to Diane and Nud - Letter from niece Laura
Hi Auntie Dodo and Uncle Bud,
I'm sorry it took me awhile to get back to you. I'm very happy
that the shrine will be in the spotlight again. Thank you so
much for carrying on this special tradition and for always taking
such beautiful care of the shrine.
I do have memories of wet cement being mixed by Pepere and of me
picking up little pebbles from the ground to stick into the
cement. Although I must have been very little, I knew it was
very special and important. The statue has always been and will
continue to be a "touchstone" in my life. I travel the Mass Pike
quite often and always look for the statue to say a prayer for
Memere & Pepere, Daddy and all of our relatives that have left
us. If I miss my glimpse, I am always disappointed.
I can't tell you how many times I have told Pepere and Memere's
story of love and faith to people from all over New England.
Everyone always knows of the statue and to a person have always
wondered about the story behind it. I believe hundreds, if not
thousands of people (people we will probably never know) feel a
connection to the statue. What a remarkable legacy! I have
always felt very blessed and proud to have been a small
participant in such an amazing story. The statue will always
represent our families faith and love and the bonds that brought
our family together and turned me from a California Girl into a
staunch New Englander!
Thanks again and I hope everything works out well for you.
Love,
25 Mar 2000 Diane to Michael - Forwarding message from daughter Lisa
We just got home from Mass to find the email I just forwarded to
you from our oldest daughter, Lisa. She was born in 1960, the
same year we bought our little farm. The house had no plumbing
etc. so we moved in here at Sunnybrook with my parents and a
brand new baby so that we would be close so that Bud could make
our house livable. He worked on it every night after his real
job and finally after another baby, our son Joseph was born and
we were still here with my parents, we were able to move in to
our own little place before our third was born in 1963. My poor
parents were very patient through it all and I only realize now
how hard it must have been for them then. Anyway, that is one of
the reasons that my children are so close with their Pepere and
Memere.
Have a great weekend!
God's blessings to you and Bernadette!
25 Mar 2000.2 Lisa to Diane and Bud - Message from daughter Lisa
At my age, unfortunately some memories are beginning to become
too far away to remember, and then there are some things that
happen in your life that have such a profound effect on you that
you could not forget them if you tried. One such memory for me is
the day Pepere decided to have me help with work on the statue of
the Blessed Virgin. My Grandfather, as you may already know,
promised to place a statue of the Blessed virgin in a noticeable
place, if my Grandmother survived a bout with cancer. Well,
luckily for all of us, she did survive and lived another fifteen
wonderful years.
Pepere made me feel so important, giving me such a big job. He
asked me to choose and place pebbles all around in the cement
that the Blessed Virgin sat atop. I did my job, careful to place
each stone in what I felt was just the right spot. Many little
stones, yet such a big job. Pepere reminded me many times through
the past several years, that we had worked together to do
something special and how well I had done that little job.
Many people helped with the job of putting that statue up. Pepere
gave each of us something special to do so we all had taken part
when it was all done. Even today it is a special place to visit,
a place where all the grandchildren can walk to together
,"without any grown-ups," and feel safe. That Blessed Virgin
statue was put up as a promise from my Pepere, but she has had
many more jobs since my grandfather placed her. To my family she
is a special reminder of the amazing bond we shared with two
very, very special people and the faith they passed on to us and
so many others.
Thank you Mem and Pep!
Lisa and Family
25 March 2000.3 Michael to Diane - Newspaper articles arrived
Just a brief acknowledgement to let you know that the newspaper
articles you were so kind to sent to me arrived safely in today's
mail. I am grateful for your special effort in preparing them
from the originals. I have read each one and was especially
touched by the impact "Our Lady of the Turnpike" has had over the
years.
Thanks also for the e-mails you sent earlier this week. You are
indeed blessed with a wonderful family whose obvious love for Our
Lady has, over these many years, made her known to many others.
I shall reread your e-mails and newspaper articles for comments.
More later!
Thanks again for continuing to share this wonderful story.
25 March 2000.4 Diane to Michael - Postal Letter of 20 Mar with newspapers
Correct anchor for 2004.3)
Here are the news[a[er articles I told you I would send
26 Mar 2000.2 Michael to John - Summary of information so far
As of today, I have a total of 51 e-mails regarding the Mass
Turnpike shrine.
I have downloaded each one to a disk, as well as printed and
placed all of them into a three-ring loose-leaf notebook. I have
just finished consecutively numbering each one for reference
purposes. Some are very brief, but others run to as much as
three or four pages with 'header' and 'return-path'. I'll save a
second abbreviated, text-only copy - as well as the original -
for the sake of brevity, and send these to you sometime in the
near future. (Right now, my wife Bernadette's health is not good
and its taking its toll on my own health and free time; hopefully
things will improve!)
Some interesting facts (as they come to mind ) so far:
1) The farm on which the shrine is located is known as Sunnybrook
Farm.
2) The shrine is known to some as "Our Lady of the Turnpike"
3) Diane has contacted her whole family regarding this new
project, and they are responding with enthusiasm and support.
4) She has forwarded me several responses from them already.
5) Her oldest daughter is quite a gardener, and will begin
researching the MG website when school lets out in June.
6) One niece was present at the building of the shrine base and
has sent Diane two reminiscences so far.
7) Diane and Bud are retired and three of their daughters live in
homes built on the farm property. This will be helpful in
gathering reminiscences.
8) Diane and Bud spend their summer on the Rhode Island shore but
have agreed to meet with me this summer.
9) Diane's mother survived 15 years after her healing, and spent
much of her time making 'hundreds' of rosaries for the Rosary
Makers, family, and friends up until her death.
10) According to one email from a niece in Connecticut, the
shrine has become a well-known landmark ( and prayer stop ) among
travelers over the years.
11) The shrine is well-known to the Mass Turnpike Authority which
has seen fit not to fix the break in the fence which allows
access to the shrine from the turnpike.
12) A man by the name of Joe Ruggiero discovered his fiance had
a fatal health condition. She entered Baystate Medical Center
where the doctors offered no false hope. When he left the
hospital that night, he didn't go home. He drove to the Madonna
on the Turnpike. He stayed there about an hour. Before leaving he
made a promise: if Mary granted him this favor ( his fiance's
healing) he would make her turnpike spot even more striking. The
next morning the doctors at Baystate gave Joe Ruggiero's fiance a
clean bill of health. To bring the story to a quick conclusion,
Joe Ruggiero gave $500 towards enhancing the shrine. (Springfield Sunday Republican Article - Oct. 19, 1997)
13) Money left at the shrine is used to illuminate the statue at
night.
14) et cetera, et cetera. Wonderful stuff!
I received photocopies yesterday from Diane of five newspaper
clippings about the shrine. I shall transcribe them and save them
to disk to forward to you with the e-mails. Diane mentioned that
someone is working on reproducing the video.
Accompanying the news articles was a personal letter to me
containing the following paragraph: "I also want to take this
time to thank you so much for what you are doing and please be
assured of our prayers for your intentions when we visit Our
Lady."
NB: Evidently many people have left scraps of paper at the
shrine containing petitions or prayers of thanksgiving. I'll be
anxious to find out if these have been preserved.
27 Mar 2000 John to Michael - Appreciate your thoroughness
In addition to your loving thoughtfulness in gaining Diane's
trust in regard to family information from the heart regarding
the Mass Pike wayside shrine - 51 e-mails so far plus clippings,
tapes, etc. - your thoroughness in preserving and organizing all
this information is producing a real treasure.
As I alluded to previously, the external aspects of Mary Gardens,
the history and research etc., are essential to the preservation
of their tradition - just as the "institutional" Church is
necessary to the preservation of the revealed deposit of faith;
and external Marian devotions such as novenas, Rosary society and
sodality meetings, etc. are essential to the preservation of
Marian devotion - but, as St. Louis de Montfort counsels, the
essence of Marian devotion and recourse in prayer is interior,
tender, holy, constant and disinterested", and it is this that is
at heart of what is being shared here.
However, in keeping with the documents of Vatican II, it is
important also that we keep in mind the distinction between this
true interior Marian devotion and that which is "superstitious"
and "exaggeratedly emotional", rather than "disinterested" -
which when mixed in with the true, tends to obscure the true, so
that many people can dismiss it all, without discovering or
acknowledging the true.
The fact that the shrine was established in thanksgiving, rather
than personal petition, makes it truly disinterested, and this
seems to have pervaded the family's three generation continuation
of the shrine - notwithstanding that others may have approached
it "interestedly".
"Interested", as well as emotional and superstitious devotion to
Mary can indeed be an important beginning, but as I see it we
should hope to let the true aspects of Marian devotion shine
through.
30 Mar 2000 Michael to John - Springfield Republican article
Attached please find news article, the first in a chronological
series sent to me in the mail by Diane. This is item 57 in the
collection of correspondence. All articles in the newspaper
series will be given the reference code 57; each individual item
will be letter-coded. 57-A is a cover letter which I shall add
later.
NB: John / Joe - Any questions on the shrine? Please email them to me and I'll pass them on to Diane.
o O o
Sunday Republican, Springfield, Mass., June 5, 1977 p. 14
Statue marks a gift of life
By Marcia Blomberg Republican Staff
(scan of photo)
Alfred Brodeur tidies up at the site of a
statue he erected as a promise to God.
WEST WARREN -- If a traveller passes through here on the
Massachusetts Turnpike and raises his eyes from the road, he
might see a man kneel down by a roadside statue of the Virgin
Mary.
Two worlds exist within a half-mile of each other in the
hills and hollows of West Warren. On the Massachusetts Turnpike,
time is only to be passed and space is only something to be
passed through on the way to appointments in or between Albany or
Boston.
The only hint of the other world--a quiet, still farm on a
dead-end road--is given by that small white statue of the Madonna
on the Turnpike.
Many who see the statue think it marks the site of a tragic
accident. What the statue commemorates, however, is the saving
of a life.
To find the man who erected the statue near the pike, one
must travel back roads far from the pike.
But, to discover the reason Alfred Brodeur put up the statue
is easy. He and his wife, Eldora, welcome visitors seeking the
story behind the statue near their home at Sunnybrook Farm on
Reed Street Extension.
"I wasn't a drinking man, but I took a beer now and then. My
wife was sick, and had a serious operation. It was a promise I
made to God and the Blessed Mother, that if my wife was better,
and got well, then I wouldn't take a drink, and I would put up
the statue," Mr. Brodeur said.
That was back in 1963. Mrs. Brodeur had had two operations
before that last, most serious one.
"I was worried," Mrs. Brodeur said. "I had had embolisms
(blood clots) in the operations before. But this time I had
cancer, and within 48 hours after the operation, another
embolism. So you can never tell." Mrs. Brodeur did live to
tell the story, however. Fourteen years later, she is a healthy,
active woman.
In 1964, a year after her operation, when Mr. Brodeur was
sure that his wife was cured, he erected the statue. He cleared
a spot near the pike, covered it with lush grass, built a
pedestal of stone and mortar with his own hands and placed a
small statue on top. He planted honeysuckle given by his
daughter, behind the statue, and in recent years has placed other
plants donated by relatives around the state.
"He had his own idea of where to put it, not for decorative
purposes, but purely for inspiration, and it seems to work," Mrs.
Brodeur said.
"I put it there in tribute to the Blessed Mother, so people
would go by and think of her, whether they believe in her or
not," Mr. Brodeur said. "Those that believe in her say a little
prayer, and those that don't still think of her."
One person who thought of the statue and its reason for being
is Dolores Carpenter, a PhD candidate at the University of
Massachusetts, Amherst, and wife of Rev. Joseph Carpenter,
pastor of Wesley Methodist Church in Springfield.
She talked about the first time she saw the statue from the
turnpike.
"I guess it would have to go back about five years, maybe
more. We would make trips from time to time to Boston. We'd
always talk about it and wonder about it," Mrs. Carpenter said.
"One day in particular, as we were going by, my husband
called my attention to the fact that there was a man kneeling
there in prayer. So then we realized that it had some greater
meaning to someone," she said.
"About two weeks ago, I was facing surgery and I'd been
offered a position at a college in St. Louis, so I was facing a
lot of decisions," she continued. "one day we were feeling low
so we decided to go out and see if we could find the statue. We
followed back streets, and, miraculously, we found it. We came
to a house at the end of a dead-end street and Mr. Brodeur came
out to the car. He and his wife were very nice to us
immediately. We said we were trying to find the statue and he
admitted it was on his property."
"I felt it was interesting that he had erected it because of
his wife's surgery, and I was facing surgery. I asked him to
remember me when he went out there to pray," she said.
Mr. Brodeur mentioned two other visitors to the statue.
"A few years back, there were two priests that came, a young
one and an old one," he said. "They asked to see the statue, and
my son took them out. The old one said to my son, 'someday this
will be a shrine.' "
Mr. Brodeur doesn't seem to care if the statue becomes famous
or not.
"I don't want some big, elaborate thing, I want something
simple," he said. "It means an awful lot to me just to be able
to go and say my morning prayer there."
Mrs. Brodeur said, "It's kind of an intimate place to be.
I've often thought of things I'd like to do down there myself."
Though Mr. Brodeur is 67 years old, a former dairy farmer and
retired worker after 19 years at the former Warren Pump shop, he
still works hard each day to maintain his farm.
He says he doesn't always have enough time to do as much as
he wants to around the statue.
"That bothers me because I like to see the place clean and
there's always a lot to do," he said.
Mrs. Brodeur, with one sentence, illustrated the difference
between the rushing world of the pike and the calmer life at
Sunnybrook Farm.
"Well," she said, "if we don't get it done today, there's
always another day."
2 Apr 2000 Diane to Michael - Further shrine information
Thank you for the newspaper article which we will have one of our
children show us how to put onto a disc. I am still waiting for
more memories and comments from some family members which I will
send you as they come in.
One little story which keeps popping into my head. When my
parents were still here on the farm a man appeared at their door
one day and asked in broken English ( he was Polish) if there
were something that he might do around the statue in
thanksgiving. He had been in a serious car accident (I'm not
sure where) and had been pronounced dead at the scene, but
somehow was revived. He attributed it to the Blessed Mother as
he had a rosary in his car and felt that it was her who saved
him. My Dad could only think of one thing that needed to be done
at that time and it was that she needed to be painted. The man
said he would do it. We never saw him again after that, but for
several years after we would find her with a new coat of paint.
Years later, when she again needed paint, Bud and I approached a
man who was repainting all the outdoor statues at St. Anne's
Shrine in Fiskdale, MA. to ask for some tips on what to use to
keep the paint on better. When he realized which statue we were
talking about he insisted on coming out here with all his
equipment, sandblasting her, repairing her nose ( the tip had
been broken) and painting her. He would take nothing for all his
work. Since then Bud and I have only had to paint her one time
(about 6 years ago) and the paint is staying on much better.
I thought when I read that when Mr. Stokes saw her in 1980 with
new paint that it might have been after the polish man had
painted her and that he would probably be interested in the
story.
There are many more which I will save for later. I must go get
ready to go to a reconciliation service this afternoon. Our
granddaughter/Goddaughter will be receiving the sacrament today for
the first time. She will also be doing a reading. All of our
grandchildren are special for different reasons. This one, Liana
Eldora, was adopted by Melanie when she was born. Eldora is for
my mother. She's a little girl who overcomes many obstacles and
is just a super kid!
God bless you and Bernadette!
2 Apr 2000.2 Michael to Diane - Thanks for further information
Thank you for today's e-mails. I'm sure David has many more
memories of his grandfather which will come to mind. Both of
today's stories capture memories of your Mother and Dad that are
obviously precious to your very blessed family.
I shall be busy the next few days with school work and progress
reports, and will try to work on the new articles.
In the meantime, you might pray about your last thought in this
evening's email.
You mentioned "thank you again for all that you are doing." Have
you wondered what you would eventually like to see happen to all
these precious reminiscences?
They most certainly have brought joy and inspiration to your own
family over the years. Maybe Our Lady will reveal the answer at
the right time.
Spring is on its way - and, so too, the Flowers of Our Lady.
3 Apr 2000 Diane to Michael - Form in which to present information?
I hate to bother you when you are so busy, but you don't need to
reply to this email. I just wanted to answer right away to your
question about what I would like to see happen with all the
reminiscences. When this all started, what I had assumed
(shouldn't do that) was that the Marianist Fathers were looking
for more information about our Mary to go along with what Mr.
Stokes had already provided. Maybe that wasn't even right, but
anyway, when you gave me the chance to send you everything and
when I saw how beautifully you write, I figured I'd just send it
to you in my own words and you could use them to do whatever you
wish. Whatever is finally done doesn't matter to me, but I don't
want to burden you too much. I've always believed that our
Blessed Mother will see to it that what she wants will happen.
Even when I was a bit frightened after that newspaper article I
spoke with you about I asked her to take care of it and
everything just quieted down. I really don't look for publicity
or "limelight", only what my parents wanted-to spread devotion to
Her. I do want to study more about her flowers now, even though
I have no green thumb at all. I think she will show us what she
wants near her-maybe just what grows wild there-and what so many
other people put there-I don't know yet.
As for my belief that Our Lady will have what she wants - another
little story. A few years ago a large parcel of land which
borders ours was being offered as a place for hazardous waste to
be dumped and a few years after that for a race track. Of course
we wanted neither of these things so close and many people were
upset, but I just gave it all to her and neither of those things
happened.
I'm not sure why all this came up just now about the statue, but
I know it has been a little gift to me to be able to sit here and
say wonderful things about my wonderful family and not feel like
bragging. We have had many ups and downs like every other family
and have been far from perfect, but in every bit of misfortune
we've had, we have been blessed with so much help from God, His
Mother and I guess all the saints in heaven. It just amazes me
how He works. He truly is an awesome God!
I will pray that Our Lady will have done just as she pleases with
all of this and for you too.
3 Apr 2000.2 Michael to Diane - Have you checked Mary's Gardens website?
I'm never too busy to talk about Our Lady.
Thanks for another great story; namely, Mary's intercession on
behalf of protecting her shrine.
Two quick - but important - housekeeping questions:
1) Do you have direct access to the world wide web/Internet, as
well as the
capability of corresponding by email?
2) If so, have you seen the Mary's Garden website yet?
It would be helpful for me to know.
Thanks.
4 Apr 2000 Diane to Michael - Daughter Melanie's recollections
Yes we do have access to the world wide web and yes I have seen
the Mary's Garden website. I have it bookmarked and have not
read every single thing, but do go to it quite often. I have to
admit that some of what I've read is over my head or it just
doesn't all sink in, but I will continue to look at it often.
Some of the things I've taken from it are an interest in which
kind of flowers to put there, and although the statue was blessed
by our local priest when my Dad put her there, I would like to
have it done again by the pastor we have now, using one of the
blessings I saw in that website.
This morning our daughter, Melanie, gave me a hand written paper
with her memories on it which I will type for you now. She is
our 3rd born and the one who lives with her family in the little
old house we brought her up in. She is also the child I was
carrying in 1963 when my Mom had her mastectomy.
Before I go to it, I just want to say one more time that whatever
happens with all that I've sent you doesn't matter-even if
nothing at all. Our Blessed Mother has given us all a chance to
do some wonderful reminiscing. I thought it interesting that
Melanie wrote very similar things as her sisters and none of them
have seen what the other wrote. I will be anxious to see what our
son does. He's a procrastinator so it may take some time. Now
I've rambled again and poor you have to read it all.
My memories of the statue -- Melanie (Fontaine) Stanton
I remember mostly when I was a young girl, walking to the
statue with Pepere because he would go each day to say his
prayers. It was a little scary crossing the old bridge to get
there, but then a race to see who could get there first after we
did cross. We couldn't wait to go make the trailer trucks TOOT
their big horns. That was a big treat! We also got to pitch
rocks down in the brook.
There wasn't much Memere and Pepere didn't let us do. Then
we always took time to say at least one prayer. Pepere always
said his prayers in French. I tried to understand what he was
saying but couldn't. Sometimes he would have us say a prayer out
loud so he could learn it in English. He always made us feel so
smart and special.
Another time I remember is when we got to dig the ditch all
the way from the barn to the statue to bury the cable for the
light so Mary would be lit up at night. Before that Memere and
Pepere had this neat fluorescent light to bring up to shine on
her.
My last memory with Pepere was his last visit to the statue.
We had all gotten together for one of our special summer
campfires at "The Farm" and I'm not sure who's idea it was but my
Dad who has always been good to and shown his love to Memere &
Pepere very lovingly and carefully drove his tractor with the
bucket on the front with Pepere in it (because he could barely
walk anymore) to visit his shrine. We all walked along so
happily and proud to be going to the statue one more time with
"Our Pepere"!
I love and miss him very much and I thank you for giving me
an opportunity to remember how lucky I was to have the most
special Grandparents in the world.
4 Apr 2000.2 Diane to Michael - Further recollections
I didn't want to wait any longer to answer some questions, but
will have more on this subject a little later when I view the
video tape we made on the evening of Dad's last visit to his
shrine. I will also have Lisa add that piece of tape to the
other video she will make to send you.
I do remember that 2 of our daughters and their families were
here, The Stantons and the Jones. Melanie's close friend, Patty
Bishop was also here with her 2 sons, Justin and Jesse. Patty's
little daughter, Katie, had died at the age of 11 just a few
months before and she and her family were really hurting. Katie
was a wonderful child who had been sick since birth, but was a
ray of sunshine to everyone. She had sat on my Dad's hospital
bed a few months before her own death, making everyone laugh and
touching Pepere ( she called him that too even though not related
by blood) and telling him that she would pray for him . He loved
her too and would always ask about her. I'm sure that now he and
Katie together can go to Our Blessed Mother to intercede for
Patty who has MS, is still grieving and having a hard time to
understand why God took her Katie. It's one of those things, I
think we understand, but certainly know why Patty isn't there
yet. Maybe you can have a little intention for that family while
you are doing all the work of reading this and putting it
together.
I also remember that night that my Dad wanted a toasted
marshmallow really badly and we didn't give him one as one of his
major problems was diabetes. Now sometimes I wish I had just
given him one. After he went to the nursing home where the
nurses could keep tabs on things we were given permission to
bring him a little of the little things he loved like the sap
from the maple trees Bud tapped for maple syrup making and then a
little bit of the syrup from "his farm".
Dad didn't have to ask about the shrine when we went to visit,
which was daily, because I always made a point of telling him
everything that went on with it, and always asked for his advice
and approval before doing anything different. We always asked
for advice on anything we did on the farm and I knew he loved it
when we asked for advice about the cows or cow we had at the
time. He loved his farm and farming.
I'm trying to think of other ways he and Mom showed devotion to
our lady. One of my Mom's ways probably was that she was as
perfect a Mother on earth could be. I'm sure she took her
example from Our Blessed Mother as she taught us by example more
than anything else. She never said a whole lot, but when she did
it always made such good sense. She is my idol and as much as I
try, I will never be as good as she was and she did it in such a
humble, quiet way. When she made all those rosaries, she was
having a lot of pain in her arm and fingers at the time. We
thought then that it was all from having had the mastectomy, but
now since my brother and I have some of the same problems , we
realize it was probably more that one thing. When she felt
lazy(that's how she put it, but we know she was sick) she would
put her time to good use by making and donating all those
rosaries.
I think I mentioned before that my parents always wanted a Mary
statue on their lawn, but decided to put it up near the turnpike
so that many more could see her and have devotion to her. We
also said the family rosary almost every night.
Now one more little story. One time when my Dad was praying at
the statue a man came off the turnpike and angrily asked him what
he was trying to prove by kneeling there praying to a statue. My
Dad (who could get angry quickly at times) said very calmly "do
you carry any pictures of anyone you love in your wallet?" When
the man replied that he did my Dad just said "Well, looking at
this statue while I pray just makes me think of The Blessed
Virgin Mary who I love, and I'm not praying to the statue, but to
her." Now wasn't that a great answer for a little old farmer who
went only as far as 5th grade in school! His devotion was
genuine.
I think "Brodeur Mary Garden" should be the name on your file.
Lastly, I'm happy that you, Bernadette, enjoy my emails. I
always feel like I'm getting carried away with them, but I too am
home and I think it's giving me something to do that I feel is
important. I look forward to meeting you when summer comes!
Take care and God bless you both!
4 Apr 2000.3 Michael to Diane - Further questions?
Glad to hear you are becoming familiar with John Stokes'
research. Don't worry about trying to digest paragraph-long
sentences. I had the same reaction. John calls his writing
"apologias" - Latin for 'you may not get it the first time"!
Thank you for Melanie's reminiscences of your Dad's last visit
to the shrine. It's wonderful to see such willing participation
in this project by so many members of the family.
She mentions that it took place during "one of our special
summer campfires at 'The Farm' ...we all walked along so happily
and proud to be going to the statue one more time with "Our
Pepere."
It would be valuable if someone could expand upon (individually
or collectively) about this 'last' campfire with you Dad, and
who went to the shrine on this last visit with your Dad and
anything that was said or done by him or others present.
I know this may be asking the impossible, but since it was a
significant event for your Dad, there may be more importance
attached to a small gesture or word than was realized at the
time. Sometimes hindsight allows us to place a value on
something which, at the time, seemed ordinary or unimportant.
Did he ever ask about the shrine in your subsequent visits with
him?
Also, is there anything you recall demonstrating your Mother and
Dad's devotion to Mary. You have mentioned that he said his
daily prayers there at the shrine; if nothing else were said, I
suppose that would be a sufficient testimony to his devotion to
Mary. You also mentioned your Mother making rosaries - anything
more about the rosaries?
* * *
You should know that "the file" is growing. I have a total of
65 e-mails in a notebook, as well as the copies on a disk.
(Bernadette is home all day and looks forward to seeing your
e-mails - she wanted me to tell you so.)
It would be helpful for the record to type something in the
"Subject" box to distinguish each email from another - just a
suggestion, if you can oblige!
One other 'housekeeping' question. My notebook with the
collection of e-mails is titled "Fontaine Mary Garden". Do you
think it might be more appropriate - from now on - to refer to
the garden as the "Brodeur Mary Garden"? Any thoughts or
suggestions on this?
Thanks again for parting with a few more family jewels!
7 Apr 2000 Diane to Michael - Further information
I didn't want to wait any longer to answer some questions, but
will have more on this subject a little later when I view the
video tape we made on the evening of Dad's last visit to his
shrine. I will also have Lisa add that piece of tape to the
other video she will make to send you.
I do remember that 2 of our daughters and their families were
here, The Stantons and the Jones. Melanie's close friend, Patty
Bishop was also here with her 2 sons, Justin and Jesse. Patty's
little daughter, Katie, had died at the age of 11 just a few
months before and she and her family were really hurting. Katie
was a wonderful child who had been sick since birth, but was a
ray of sunshine to everyone. She had sat on my Dad's hospital
bed a few months before her own death, making everyone laugh and
touching Pepere ( she called him that too even though not
related by blood) and telling him that she would pray for him .
He loved her too and would always ask about her. I'm sure that
now he and Katie together can go to Our Blessed Mother to
intercede for Patty who has MS, is still grieving and having a
hard time to understand why God took her Katie. It's one of
those things, I think we understand, but certainly know why
Patty isn't there yet. Maybe you can have a little intention
for that family while you are doing all the work of reading this
and putting it together.
I also remember that night that my Dad wanted a toasted
marshmallow really badly and we didn't give him one as one of
his major problems was diabetes. Now sometimes I wish I had
just given him one. After he went to the nursing home where the
nurses could keep tabs on things we were given permission to
bring him a little of the little things he loved like the sap
from the maple trees Bud tapped for maple syrup making and then
a little bit of the syrup from "his farm".
Dad didn't have to ask about the shrine when we went to visit,
which was daily, because I always made a point of telling him
everything that went on with it, and always asked for his advice
and approval before doing anything different. We always asked
for advice on anything we did on the farm and I knew he loved it
when we asked for advice about the cows or cow we had at the
time. He loved his farm and farming.
I'm trying to think of other ways he and Mom showed devotion to
our lady. One of my Mom's ways probably was that she was as
perfect a Mother on earth could be. I'm sure she took her
example from Our Blessed Mother as she taught us by example more
than anything else. She never said a whole lot, but when she
did it always made such good sense. She is my idol and as much
as I try, I will never be as good as she was and she did it in
such a humble, quiet way. When she made all those rosaries, she
was having a lot of pain in her arm and fingers at the time. We
thought then that it was all from having had the mastectomy, but
now since my brother and I have some of the same problems , we
realize it was probably more that one thing. When she felt
lazy(that's how she put it, but we know she was sick) she would
put her time to good use by making and donating all those
rosaries.
I think I mentioned before that my parents always wanted a Mary
statue on their lawn, but decided to put it up near the turnpike
so that many more could see her and have devotion to her. We
also said the family rosary almost every night.
Now one more little story. One time when my Dad was praying at
the statue a man came off the turnpike and angrily asked him
what he was trying to prove by kneeling there praying to a
statue. My Dad (who could get angry quickly at times) said
very calmly "do you carry any pictures of anyone you love in
your wallet?" When the man replied that he did my Dad just said
"Well, looking at this statue while I pray just makes me think
of The Blessed Virgin Mary who I love, and I'm not praying to
the statue, but to her." Now wasn't that a great answer for a
little old farmer who went only as far as 5th grade in school!
His devotion was genuine.
I think "Brodeur Mary Garden" should be the name on your file.
Lastly, I'm happy that you, Bernadette, enjoy my e-mails. I
always feel like I'm getting carried away with them, but I too
am home and I think it's giving me something to do that I feel
is important. I look forward to meeting you when summer comes!
Take care and God bless you both!
7 Apr 2000.2 Diane to Michael - One negative thing that happened
After sending the last email I felt that I should tell you that
in all the years the statue has been there, the story about the
man who thought Dad was praying to a statue was the only sort of
negative thing that every happened there or concerning the statue
and I have a feeling it turned into something very positive.
Thanks again for your time.
8 Apr 2000 Michael to Diane - Springfield Union News Article 7-3-87
The July 3rd, 1987 newspaper article from the Springfield Union News appears below. It was indeed a pleasure once again rereading this story about your Dad's inspiring devotion to Mary.
o O o
Springfield Union News, Springfield Mass., Friday, July 3, 1987
She's an inspiration to travelers
In her 23 years, Alfred Brodeur's "Madonna" in West Warren has
become a landmark along the Massachusetts Turnpike
(Photo)
Turnpike Landmark -- With traffic on the Massachusetts
Turnpike flowing past, background, Alfred Brodeur recites
the rosary in front of the "Madonna of the Turnpike" in
West Warren, which he erected 23 years ago.
Since then, the statue is annually visited by many hundreds of
travelers.
By Tom Shea
With no apparent sign of trouble, the pea-green Plymouth
with the emergency lights flashing eased its way into the
eastbound breakdown lane of the Massachusetts Turnpike in West
Warren last week.
A mother and son emerged gripping rosaries. While cars
whizzed by, they stood at the guard rail facing a white statue
of the Virgin Mary more than 100 feet away in a manicured grove.
They bowed their head and recited a decade of the rosary in
Spanish.
"My mother is not well and we are going to Boston to visit a
doctor," said 48-year-old Victor Hernandez of Springfield. "It
makes her feel better to stop here and say her prayers."
Ina Hernandez, a woman in her 70's, who speaks little
English, said she has great devotion to "Mary, the mother of
God."
"She always hears my prayers," she said.
Alfred Brodeur placed the two-foot-high cement statue of
Mary on a ruggedly handsome three-foot-high boulder pedestal in
a clearing overlooking the turnpike in the spring of 1964.
He did it for God.
In 1963, Eldora Brodeur, his wife, was sick with her first
bout with cancer.
"She had a very serious operation and I promised God and the
Blessed Mother if she got well I would build the statue,"
Brodeur said. "She did. And I kept my promise."
By keeping his promise and by erecting the statue on his
property visible to both sides of the turnpike, Brodeur's
handiwork has become a landmark: The Madonna of the Turnpike, a
source of inspiration and curiosity to many who travel the pike
between the Palmer and Sturbridge exits.
* * *
"Originally I thought I'd put the statue by the babbling
brook behind the house, but I wanted to put it somewhere special
for the Blessed Mother where it would inspire people," Brodeur
said.
"I thought if people saw the statue they would think of her
and say a little prayer."
A Roman Catholic with a special devotion to Mary, Brodeur is
a robust and friendly 77-year-old Warren native, who facially
resembles Henry Kissinger.
He spent much of his childhood in Canada and worked most of
his life as a dairy farmer on his 100-plus acre Sunnybrook Farm,
and as an employee of the Warren Pumps before his retirement 15
years ago.
Brodeur purchased the plain statue of Mary at a
now-forgotten store in the Indian Orchard section of
Springfield.
"I didn't want something big and elaborate," he said. "I
wanted something simple and pure to honor her."
Through the years, hundreds have stopped at the statue,
leaving letters, rosaries, money and flowers. For years an
anonymous elderly Polish-born man from Springfield would show up
each year to paint the statue.
The letters are sometimes neatly written, others scribbled
hurriedly on napkins or scraps of paper, usually thanking Mary
for favors granted or asking for help.
* * *
The occasional dollar bills stuffed into the rocks of the
pedestal are used to help pay the electricity bill to keep the
100-watt spotlight shining on the statue after dark.
Some have followed the path through thick forest behind the
statue and walked the quarter of a mile to the Brodeur homestead
to either thank the family, or to hear the story of the Madonna.
"Recently, a truck driver, huffing and puffing, knocked on
the door and asked if we were responsible for the statue," said
Diane Fontaine, Brodeur's daughter, who now lives at the farm
with her family.
"When I said we were, he said he has been meaning for years
to stop by and thank us. He told me the statue of the Blessed
Mother means a lot to him. He then turned around and ran back
to his truck."
When the spotlight didn't shine on the statue between
February and June, State Rep. Paul E. Caron, D-Springfield,
started a personal investigation.
"I was concerned because the statue of the Blessed Virgin
Mary is a beacon to many of us who travel the pike and I've long
viewed the shrine as a symbol of peace and contentment," Caron
said. "I was relieved to hear it was loggers on the property
who accidentally cut an electric cable leading to the statue and
the family planned on re-lighting the statue when the logging
job was completed."
The light was turned back on the Madonna on June 5th, the
day before John Paul II opened the Marian year with a world-wide
saying of the rosary on international television.
"It wasn't planned that way by Bud (Brodeur's son-in-law,
Elmer Fontaine)," Brodeur said. "And I believe it's more than a
coincidence. Our Lady had it planned that way."
* * *
The most persistent myth concerning the Madonna is that the
statue commemorates the site of a fatal accident.
"I don't know where that got started, but I've heard that
one a lot," Alfred Brodeur said. "The statue of the Blessed
Mother represents a life being saved, not a life being lost."
Eldora Brodeur recovered fully from her first bout from
cancer, but the cancer returned in 1979 and she died at the age
of 69 in 1981.
"She never complained or cried the last two years of her
life...and she really suffered," Diane Fontaine said. She
always said, "Don't cry for me, I've gotten everything I wanted
out of life."
"She really believed she was given 15 extra good years from
Jesus through his Mother. And, when she died she was ready and
died peacefully with her family around her. Just before she
died we saw her lips move. She said "I love you." "
In recounting the story of his wife's suffering and death,
Alfred Brodeur cried.
We were married 51 years, four months and 16 days," he said.
"God was good to us. He gave us those last 17 years together."
Brodeur remarried four years ago, sold the farm to his son
and moved to North Brookfield with his wife, Rose Gomez.
He still drives a car and volunteers delivering hot meals to
the elderly shut-ins. He also still says his daily rosary on
his knees.
* * *
On his frequent return visits to the farm, Brodeur always
includes a trip to pray in front of the statue.
"I used to say my morning prayers out there everyday," he
said. "So now I make it a point to visit when I come to the
farm. The Blessed Mother is in good hands with Bud, he keeps
the place looking pretty."
The Fontaine's usually take a stroll down to the statue each
evening.
"It's very peaceful down there," Diane Fontaine said. "You
wouldn't think so with all the cars going by on the pike, but it
is."
The statue has a shrine-like appearance with honeysuckle,
rhododendrons and roses filling in the spaces behind the statue.
"Many yeas ago two priests came to the door and asked to see
the statue," Brodeur said. "My son took them out and the older
of the two priests said to my son, "someday this will be a
shrine." "
* * *
Victor Hernandez said his mother noticed the statue almost
five years ago when her trips to doctors in Boston began.
"She felt it was a godsend," he said. "She almost couldn't
believe it The first time she saw it I had to use my brakes and
go in reverse in the breakdown lane to find the statue. I
thought she was seeing things."
Hernandez said he now knows the spot by heart.
"Like I said, it make her feel better to stop here," he
said. "She would like to pray the whole rosary kneeling in front
of the statue but she couldn't get over the guard rail and the
fence (which divides the Brodeur's property and the pike's), so
she stands here and prays."
On the trip home, Hernandez said his mother says a silent
prayer when they drive past in the westbound lane of the pike.
"It's even more beautiful, lit in the dark," he said. "I
think it's wonderful someone thought so much of the Blessed
Mother to build something like this. They must love her as much
as my mother does."
8 Apr 2000.2 Michael to John - Progress reports
The collection of e-mails on the Brodeur shrine is approaching
70. More later on this wonderful response from Diane and her
family. I have three other news articles still to be typed.
9 Apr 2000 Michael to Diane - Springfield Sunday Republican article 10-19=00
The October 19, 1997 newspaper article from the Springfield
Sunday Republic