Fatima Shrine at Bellevue

A beautifully updated Fatima shrine at Sorrowful Mother Shrine in Bellevue.

Fr. Gene Wilson, 1928 - 2017

Fr. Gene Wilson, a familiar face for many years at Sorrowful Mother Shrine in Bellevue, passed away on March 30, 2017, in Sandusky.  A full obituary can be found HERE.

Sorrowful Mother Shrine on Facebook

Wonderful photos of Sorrowful Mother Shrine in Bellevue on their Facebook page -- check it out HERE.

Immaculate Conception, Bellevue

An interesting postcard, showing the location of the previous church at the rear of the school.  Uncertain of date; the school was built in the 1920s, and the new church was built in 1964.

Sorrowful Mother Shrine, Bellevue

 Icon in the visitors' center.

Peacocks, a symbol of the church, on a Holy Water font in the old chapel.

Sorrowful Mother Shrine will have a Farmer's Market on the first Sunday of June through September, details are HERE.

Sorrowful Mother Shrine, Bellevue

The pilgrimage season at Sorrowful Mother Shrine begins on April 15, Divine Mercy Sunday, with special events on most weekends into October. See the schedule HERE.

Postcards from the Past

Immaculate Conception parish in Bellevue, previous church.

Aerial view of Rosary Cathedral in Toledo.

Students in front of the old school at Good Shepherd, East Toledo.

Pilgrimage service at Sorrowful Mother Shrine in Bellevue, 1959.

The photos above are a little sample of postcards available at Barnard's Post Cards ebay store. To search the store, click HERE. (For example, if you search for "Toledo church", you will see some great views.) Thanks to Nadya and Joe in Dublin, Ohio, for letting me use some images.

Sorrowful Mother Shrine, Bellevue

Sorrowful Mother Shrine, Bellevue

Postcard of pilgrimage at Sorrowful Mother Shrine, uncertain of date. Note the procession started at St. Michael's parish (now St. Gaspar del Bufalo) and continued down the highway.

Sorrowful Mother Shrine, Bellevue

A view of the statue of St. Bernadette Soubirous from inside the Lourdes Grotto.

Statue of a Filipino saint, I believe St. Lorenzo Ruiz.

Children of Fatima -- Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco.

Our Lady of Fatima.

A stained glass window in the small chapel that is made entirely of stained glass.

Sorrowful Mother Shrine, Bellevue

There's a fine online gallery of photos of Sorrowful Mother Shrine by photographer Paul Csizmadia, with especially good views of the stained glass. You can see it HERE.

Immaculate Conception, Bellevue

Sorrowful Mother Shrine, Bellevue

Immaculate Conception, Bellevue

A Christmas scene at the second Immaculate Conception church in Bellevue, around 1900.

You can download a copy of their parish history from their website HERE.

Sorrowful Mother Shrine, Bellevue

Sorrowful Mother Shrine, Bellevue

Crucifix in memory of World War I.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.

Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Shrine chapel.


Christ's Agony in the Garden.

Sorrowful Mother Shrine, Bellevue

Sorrowful Mother Shrine, Bellevue

Lourdes Grotto



Archway near the Holy Sepulchre.

Sorrowful Mother Shrine, Bellevue

St. Gaspar del Bufalo.

Outdoor shrine chapel, rear view.

Sorrowful Mother Shrine, Bellevue

Sculpture of Fr. Francis De Sales Brunner, the Swiss priest who brought the Society of the Precious Blood to America.