Stony Point: Hope, Joy & Promise in Christ's Resurrection

By Fr. Steve Stafran, SDB

(Stony Point, NY – March 28) – The stonework is complete. It is magnificent with the hope that as the faithful and pilgrims enter they can envision the Risen Lord.

Don Bosco began the Oratory on Easter Sunday. Pope Pius XI knew that, and our founder was canonized on Easter Sunday, April 1, 1934. Don Bosco is the only Saint with this honor. The Resurrection in mosaic also graces the small oratory chapel in Valdocco. Hope, joy, and the promise of eternal life welcomed the boys to the Oratory, and our Shrine Chapel does the same for all the pilgrims who come to pray here.

The musicians have been relocated into the sanctuary to the side of the altar. Marble pedestals have been made for the marble statues of Mary Help of Christians and Don Bosco. These images serve as the foundation of the site, where the Eucharist and Marian devotion grew.

Our hill in Stony Point overlooking the Hudson is our Becchi. How fortunate we are to have a replica of the house Don Bosco grew up in right behind our Shrine Chapel.

To be continued...