Liturgy

In the Motu Proprio “Sanctuarium in Ecclesia” describes a Shrine as a place of evangelization where pilgrims experience deeply God’s closeness, the tenderness of the Virgin Mary and the company of the Saints…particularly through the Mass and especially through Reconciliation and the Eucharist. (SE, 2, 4)

Our Lady of La Leche National Shrine does not take the place of the proper parish (i.e., the parish where one has a home [domicile]), which is the place where sacraments are normally to be provided. Because the Shrine is such a special place, it has become too easily a substitute for sacraments that are not proper to a shrine and, with the exception of marriages that bishops have already approved for the Rustic Altar, other sacraments must be limited to rare instances, if they occur at all.

The U.S. bishops have designated us a national sanctuary of pilgrimage and prayer. The Catholic Church teaches that the sacraments are communal in nature — properly celebrated within the worshiping community, the parish.

For more information please contact us at info@missionandshrine.org or 904-824-2809.