poetry: OLV centennial
535 miles US 219:
Tiny Virginia town to Buffalo suburb,
The very last mile it pops up, surprised.
Only ten seconds,
The distant dome in Lackawanna
Is there for sure, forever. AHA!
Nelson Baker, hoping for the priesthood,
Pilgrimage to Paris 1874, praised, gazing at a statue, amazed,
Atop the main altar, a little boy is in a lady’s clutch,
Notre Dame des Victoires.
Dream’s seed shed and vision revelation,
There for sure, forever.
Fulfilled 100 years ago.
“From now on I shall devote my life forever to your service.”
Revelations: a friend’s in Letchworth one October afternoon
With its rusty Autumn gilded glow
People who live there see Niagara staring every day
Revelations,
Sudden, swift, a couple seconds even
Seasoned, planted, to come back to.
Distant domes, Autumn golds, the rush of falling waters.
The Irish call them thin.
Times and places
Where World meets Spirit
And we walk two worlds.
Forty-seven years later, aged seventy-five:
“The Shrine will embody the truth of the essential oneness of God’s children by its invitation for all to come and worship under its illumined dome.A Shrine for all people, where Holy Church will show her tenderness, her Motherly care and solicitude, where God’s Mother will befriend all who watch at her doors.”
The Dream lasted until his last weary breath aged 94.
A revelation, “all my thoughts and action” he vowed in Paris,
His pilgrimage a vision, then a Dream:
The Infant Home, the Orphan Home, the Protectory, the Working Boys’ Home
Tens of thousands of homeless Baker boys, single mothers, their children
Educated, trained, mature,
Readied with faith and love for God and Church and country,
Skills and trades, bakers, farmers, grain growers, chickens, hogs and horses.
Revealed early on where that vow could go.
They say you only take to heaven what you gave away.
Dying penniless himself, the Father of the Fatherless gave all he had.
See what he has bequeathed us and dance when you do,
Surprised of course, for sure forever. AHA!
OLV National Shrine & Basilica welcomes approximately 40,000 visitors and friends from around the world each year. It is not only a revered house of worship, but an architectural wonder and home to dozens of magnificent pieces of art including stained-glass windows, sculptures, and paintings.
In addition, it is the final resting place of Venerable Nelson Baker, Western New York’s “Father of the Fatherless,” whose institutions provided countless acts of compassion and charity throughout his 60 years of priesthood.
Between 2021 and 2026, the Shrine will be celebrating its Centennial, marking 100 years since the commencement and completion of its construction.
For more information on special events or tours, call 716.828.9444 or go to www.olvbasilica100.org.
