Blessed Virgin Mary statue's return celebrated at the Mount
Aug. 24—When Emma Smith was a first-year student at Mount St. Mary's University, she'd walk outside the library, gaze upward and see gold.
The shining statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, approximately 26 feet tall, had stood atop a 78-foot tower since the 1960s.
The bronze statue, gilded in gold leaf, was a symbol Smith found comfort in at the beginning of college.
Then in July 2021, Mary left the Mount for a yearlong restoration. The statue's interior armature was worn out by age and weather.
Last month, the restored statue returned to the university in Emmitsburg. On Tuesday, clergy members, students and the Mount staff gathered to celebrate Mary's homecoming.
"It's so joyful that she's back for the beginning of my senior year," Smith said.
Father Ted Trinko, chaplain of the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, swung a golden thurible with burning incense before the base of the Pangborn Memorial Campanile. Atop the structure, the face of Mary looked downward over the crowd with open arms.
Trinko performed a sprinkling rite with holy water, then made the sign of the cross.
Prayers were uttered as smoke from the incense blew across the air. Six men sang a Marian hymn. The sun shined brightly.
Mount St. Mary's President Tim Trainor said in an interview that it is meaningful to see the statue return at the start of a new academic year.
"She provides hope to many, including me," he said in a speech.
Around 2019, Trainor went up in a crane bucket to help place a crown of roses on the statue's head. He noticed the back of the statue was discolored and dingy. A discussion began to return the statue to its former glory, he said.
First-year student Nismel Nforna has not been at the Mount for long but said the statue makes her feel welcome while she is away from home.
"It's a reminder that Mary's always watching over us," she said.
Gian Gonzalez, a missionary at the Mount, recently saw the way Mary's presence can draw people to the Mount.
While on campus Monday doing outreach, Gonzalez approached an older couple who looked confused. He thought they might be the parents of a new student.
Gonzalez learned they were traveling home to North Carolina from Canada when they spotted the golden statue from the road. They had to see it and pulled over. Gonzalez directed them to the Grotto.
"We had this beautiful conversation," Gonzalez said.
A rededication of the statue is planned for Oct. 8, according to National Shrine Grotto Director Dawn Walsh. Approximately $350,000 more needs to be raised to cover the cost of the restoration, she said.
Donations to support the restoration can be made to nsgrotto.org/help.
On Tuesday, standing near the base of the tower, Walsh described the hard work that went into restoring the sculpture. She said much care and expertise were required.
"It's a happy day here," she said.
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