The Christmas Lights Of La Salette Shrine

Ever heard of the Marian apparitions at La Salette in the French Alps? I hadn’t until we visited the National Shrine of La Salette in Attleboro, Massachusetts for the holiday Christmas celebration. The order of Missionaries of La Salette have seven shrines in the United States commemorating our Lady’s visit to two little shepherd children, Maximin Giraud and Melanie Mathieu. The outdoor shrine under cathedral tall pine trees is carved and built into the rocky slopes with stairways up to an altar. Catholics make their way up the hillside on their knees saying the mysteries of the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross.

The Catholic shrine, built in 1953, hosts a Christmas Light festival that is breath-taking and from the crowds, a family tradition for thousands. During the festival, you are treated to Christmas concerts, beautiful outdoor scenery, a museum of 500 creches from around the world, and a magnificent 1500-figure display of houses, churches, windmills, villagers, and a Portuguese Nativity scene, called a “Presepio,” from the Azores.

If you’re in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and New York, don’t miss this meditative holy site. It’s a wonderful way to inspire a Catholic Christmas tradition with your children.