Wayside Shrines in Miniature

And oh, when the heart faints with longing,
He is there, though our eyes cannot see;
The Compassionate One, bending o'er us,
Stoops to hear the heart's sigh, "Pray for me!"

--from The Wayside Shrine by Martha Elvira Pettus

When I was a small child, I fell in love with the roadside shrines of Ireland. It makes me smile to think back upon one afternoon in particular: As my father cast a hopeful line over the River Blackwater in County Cork, I piled wildflowers at the foot of a shrine to Our Lady.

In hopes of recreating this sweet and simple memory, we spent the weekend fashioning miniature wayside shrines small enough to grace a pot of pansies, but so lovely they just might remain in my children's hearts forever.

Several months ago, I purchased these church-shaped wooden garden stakes at the craft store for fifty cents each:

We began by painting a base coat in acrylics:

We added moss, silk flowers, small statues and crucifixes, and other embellishments.

Here are a few of the shrines we made so far:

Our Lady of Mount Carmel (spring theme):

Roadside Crucifix (winter theme, complete with a touch of artificial snow):

St. Anthony (summer theme):

Agnes' St. Jude (Agnes is taking "Judith" for Confirmation this year):

Marie's St. Joseph (a gift for Grandma):

Margaret's Advent-themed Shrine (front):

Margaret's Shrine (back view, with Divine Mercy image taken from a broken bracelet):

Margaret's adaptation--Holy Water Font:

Holy Water Font (rear view, with Infant of Prague):

Theresa's Our Lady of Grace shrine:

Marie's Crucifix in the Rhododendrons:

Three-year-old Maureen's pink Sacred Heart shrine:

Here's a pretty mess--I couldn't resist this shot of some of the production crew hard at work behind the scenes. (Also, it occurs to me for the first time that the walls inside just about match the carpet of golden maple leaves outside.)

A small silk butterfly alights atop the spring-themed shrine to Our Lady of Mount Carmel:

Materials and Ways to Improvise

I found the wooden church stakes in A.C. Moore craft store. They were made by Nicole Crafts, reference number WOD 1204. It is often difficult to find specific craft items online, and your local store may not stock these. Any paintable wooden garden stake might be used or adapted (we used flat heart-shaped stakes to make an entire set of the Stations of the Cross years ago--we also made Sacred and Immaculate Heart shrines from heart-shaped stakes a while back). If you are unable to find stakes, small wooden churches or birdhouses would work quite well, as you can see from the rear view of last year's St. Francis birdhouse craft. I often challenge the children to figure out ways to bring ideas to life from natural materials found outside. These shrines would be beautiful created from pieces of wood, bark, moss, acorns and stones gathered in the backyard--or perhaps items you might otherwise discard, like clementine crates. Can you imagine a little shrine tucked away in the knot of a tree?

The possibilities for embellishment are endless, and religious images may be taken from paper holy cards, catalogues, broken bracelets, pins, or rosaries. DiscountCatholicStore.com sells mini-pocket saint statues (3/4 inch) for $1.55.

May the saints bless you on your way, now and always!

Comments

[Erica]

Alice, this project is amazing! You are amazing! You do not fail to impress! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!

[Rebecca]

Oh they are so pretty! I can imagine filling the flower beds and gardens with shrines to all of our family's favorite saints. Your children will always remember making these, Alice, and years from now they will do the same with their children. I just know it!

[MaryM]

They are lovely and most certainly will remain in your children's hearts. What a great project.

[Therese]

Love Them,I wish I was there to make one too!!

[Barbara]

These are absolutely precious.

[Kacky]

Those are wonderful! What a lovely idea!

[AnneMarie]

Absolutely wonderful! A great project!

[Cheryl M.]

Such a wonderful project! I love them all and such beauty they add to the pots of pansies! :))

[Leona]

Alice,
Your opening memory brought tears to my eyes as I am sitting up in bed here in Mountain View, CA and Dad is sleeping in the other room and I am trying not to count that there are only 5 more days of his visit. I must say that there are 5 glorious day left of his visit.

I too love the shrines in Ireland and have fond memories of them. I need to plan a trip home soon.

What a great project I must say my favorite one is the one Our Lady of Mount Carmel because of butterfly on top!! :-)

Leona

[Meredith]

Alice, you are truly remarkable!! These are more than fabulous, what a special weekend you had sharing all these memories of your own and making new ones with your positively sweet family! The Saints are leaping for joy in heaven I am certain! Much Love,

[Eileen]

This is a beautiful activity. I've never been to Ireland, but my Grandmother was from County Cork. I would love to do this activity with the children in her honor!

[Maria Ashwell]

They are amazing!

[patience]

They're all so beautiful.

[aussieannie]

That is just brilliant Alice! Your arts and crafts are always so inspirational, thank you so much for sharing!!

God Bless, Anne

[KC]

These are wonderful! What a great idea.

[Cay]

Incredibly ingenius.
I love them!!!

[Kristen Laurence]

The shrines are so, so lovely! And did you paint that beautiful iris and foxglove on your wall? So pretty.

[Theresa]

Absolutely beautiful!!!!

[Kimberlee]

This is a beautiful post and a beautiful craft idea! Do tell how you use those clemtine crates (please)! xo

[Helen (Mary Vitamin)]

Simply lovely!

[janette]

Alice, these are absolutely beautiful! What a lovely idea. I can't wait to try these with the kids (and maybe as a group project with some friends). Thank you!!

[Monica]

I am completely impressed with these. If I can find the stakes this time of year, I may try this with my 6 and 7 yr olds to make as Christmas gifts. Outstanding idea!! Love it!

[Dawn]

Oh Alice!! This is a *beautiful* craft, one I hope to do with the boys!

[Jane Ramsey]

These are awesome, Alice!

[Allison]

Genius! I can't wait to try and get supplies to make some!