The Irish standard., 1895-08-24
CONCERNING HOLY Hill
People Flock to a Shrine in Illinois
= in Order to Be
Healed.
Ceremonies Will Be Conducted
Until October, in Remembrance
of the Occasion.
A History of Holy Hill That Proves
Interesting from Every
Point of View.

Point of View.
Today, on the wooded summit of a
picturesque hill, within half days jour-
ney of Chicago, scene Isl being enacted
which is reminiscent of the shrines of
Lourdes. Inside and about the doors of
a church whose gilded cross glistens
above the trees, rows of men, women
and children, are kneeling in prayer, or
listening to the voice of the priest.
Theses devotions began on the feast Of
the Assumption and will be- prolonged
until early in October.
For many years these pilgrimages
have been in vogue among the Catholics
Of Wisconsin and other states, as re-
suit of the fame and miraculous cures
effected by supplicating the aid of the Vir-
gin Mother Of God on Holy HILL Among
the worshippers at the shrine today on
Holy Hill are 800 Chicago Catholics,
many of them suffering from physical
ailments which have defied the skill Of
earthly physicians In addition to these
there are fully half as many affected
persons from Milwaukee and consider
able contingent from many other Cath
olic communities.
The history Of Holy Hill, or Miracle
Hill, as it is sometimes called, is roman
tic. In it legends and facts blend
strangely. The shrine crowns the sum-
nit OF an eminence $50 feet above the
surrounding plain. The hill is covered
with magnificent forest trees. The hill
is in Erin Township, Wisconsin, eight
miles from Hartford, the nearest rail-
road station, on the Chicago, Milwaukee
and St. Paul, and is forty miles distant
from Milwaukee. In the rude maps left
by Marquette and his followers, who ex-
plored this region, Holy Hill is one OF
the few points accurately marked. The
place is also spoken OF in the records OF
these explorers as having been visited
by them in 1887. Conflrmatory Of this
the remains of cross planted on the hill
during this visit are still preserved in
the church. From the departure Of the
early missionaries until Solomon Juneau
and his followers settled Milwaukee, no
mention is made of the place IN the mea-
ger annals of those times 1t is again
spoken of as the goal of pilgrims, al
though the resulting cures are not re-
corded
In the history Of the Catholic church
of Wisconsin the first reference to Holy
Hill - although it was not then called
by that name-is made in 1874. That
wear Father Kemdiz, the first vicar gen
eral of Milwaukee, celebrated mass in
blockhouse near the site of the present
chapel. Several years later, in 1856, Rev.
T. X. Paulhaber, pastor of st. Boniface's
congregation in Germantown. purchased
the hill from the government. In 1863
q small chapel was erected on the sum-
nit. It was dedicated with impressive
solemnity on the feast Of Mary, Help Of
Christians, May "a of that year. From
that day the hill has become known as
Holy Hill, and an ever-increasing throng
of Catholics began annually to journey
to pray In the little chapel.
| At first, services in the chapel were
conducted from time to time by the pas
tor of the neighboring Church Of ST.
Hubert. 1t was not long, however, until
lRey. Father Raess perceived that the
cnncourse of pilgrims required larger
eHitice. He appealed to Archbishop Hen
nj, of Milwaukee, to promote this project.
THE erection of a new building was be-
gun. and in 1879, on Sept. s, the feast
of, Mary's nativity, the present stately
edifice was dedicated by Archbishop
Heinni's successor, Most Reverend Mi
CHI; lel Heiss.
Mot far from the church a spacious
resident for the attendant priest has been
erec ted When Father thinner became
pastor in 1888 he had new the beautiful
statues erected in place of the old ones.
The.se grace the winding path leading
FROM the plain to the hilltop, and are
typical of the more striking passages tn
Chri. ,t's life.
Father thinner had the interior Of the
church greatly improved, adding con-
sidera bly, 10 the general effect by the
erection Of three gothic affairs. The stat
ue of the Virgin, which now adorns the
high altar, was one of the chief attrac-
tions i'll the department Of fine arts at
the centennial exposition in Philadel-
'phia, and was imported from Munich in
1875. O,s the occasion Of its being placed
in the church on Holy Hill a bsvy Of.
young women bore it seven miles on foot
from st. Hubert's amid impressive pomp
and ceremonial. ri sss
On the days appointed for religious
obseryances. N hich are principally the;
,feAsts Of the blessed Virgil The crowds
pf pilgrims seeking relief from ma dies
ii seate d reel the
81 q. I. l!lS ID 81 y, q 4