Man builds shrine in Dodgeville, WI

DODGEVILLE, Wis. -- Gracing a wooded hillside and nestled in a hidden valley in southwest Wisconsin are artful expressions of one man's religious fervor.

In the past 20 years, Paul Kramer has created a spiritual shrine to promote prayer on scenic land he owns near Dodgeville. Now nearing 80 and looking to the future, Kramer, a lifelong Catholic, wants to ensure the site is well taken care of and shared with the public. He is considering donating the shrine to one of several Catholic organizations, including the Wisconsin State Council of the Knights of Columbus.

Kramer admits he made a lot of money years ago as a top administrator with Land's End, based in Dodgeville. He bought a picturesque tract of land east of town 30 years ago primarily for personal hunting. Although he and his wife, Barbara, live in Madison, they built a chalet-style house on the land and spent many weekends there. In 1990, a spiritual pilgrimage changed his life.

"I went to Medjugorje (a popular Herzegovian Catholic pilgrimage site famous for reports of apparitions of the Virgin Mary) and saw rosaries everywhere. I was inspired to design one and saw where it could go on my land," said Kramer,who grew up in Harper's Ferry, Iowa. Kramer chose a flat valley between steep ridges, visible from his house, and outlined a huge circle. He had 80 tons of white onyx and red granite stones hauled in and, shovelful by shovelful, formed the beads and cross of a complete rosary with the words "Ave Maria" in the center.

Three years later, Kramer was inspired to build the Stations of the Cross, a series of 14 images commemorating the events of the passion of Jesus with prayers at each stop. He had the intricate scenes created by an Italian mosaicist and installed by a local craftsman on wooden frames along a wooded path below his house.

In 1997, Kramer had a small chapel built from hickory, cherry, red oak and red elm cut in his woods. The walnut pews of Our Lady of Grace Chapel seat about 50. Rich artwork lines the walls of the softly-lit interior. Outside the chapel, stand two prominent stone tablets inscribed with the 10 Commandments.

"Hardly anyone knows them any more, and I wanted to remind people of what the commandments are," Kramer said. Nearby the chapel is a collection of finely detailed, nearly full-sized bronze statues depicting Jesus, Mary and Saints Joseph and Michael, the Archangel.

Gordon Kremer visited the shrine for the first time this year, as the state warden of the Wisconsin Knights of Columbus.

"I was just awestruck. What a beautiful place. It's a natural testament to the Catholic faith," said Kremer, of Cassville. His organization would like to become stewards of the site, using it as a retreat center and encouraging more public visitation. Kremer would organize a pilgrimage loop including the site, St. Augustine Church in New Diggings (built in 1844 by Father Samuel Mazzuchelli) and the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine near La Crosse.

At present, Kramer is content to have the faithful visit his shrine at their leisure. He provides full-color booklets, including devotions to follow the Stations of the Cross, in a water-tight wooden case along the prayer trail.

"I'm hoping it will be used more. I want to promote more prayer for the good of the world," he said.

Dubuque Telegraph Herald 

Update: Steve Kuhl passed this info on, very cool.

You can see the rosary from Google Earth quite nicely.

Check it out on Google Maps