OUR TRIP TO THE SHRINE OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT: HANCEVILLE, ALABAMA

When we were driving to the The Shrine of The Most Blessed Sacrament, I knew we were in for a special experience. Just the drive to the gate is beautiful and peaceful. There's all of this pasture with rolling hills and a white fence. Then you get to the massive gates that let you know you are in a unique place. After going through the gate you get you first view of The Shrine. WOW!! It is massive in size. It is a few miles from the interstate but, worth every minute. If you are Catholic or not, this is a place you must visit.

The first place we visited on the grounds of The Shrine was a garden with the Beattitudes and Ten Commandments. These are on 2 separate stone monuments. They are absolutely beautiful.

From there, you can walk to the castle. This houses the gift shop. We took our trip on Sunday and the gift shop is closed then. Just the outside is amazing. The doors to the castle are amazing. They have these big wrought iron handles and the doors are rounded at the top and they are massive.

When you turn around, you are met by a smaller church on your right. The are two life size cherubs blowing trumpets in front of the building. Wow....when you go inside. There is a stained glass window to the right and left, dark wooden pews to sit on, Holy water fountains at the front of the church, prayer candles at the front of the church and the best part of all. There is a life size replica of the manger scene with Mary, Joseph and Jesus, the stable, the angel and wise men, the animals. It is absolutely breathtaking. From there, you can walk to the cathedral. The walk to the cathedral was a surreal experience. Everything on the grounds is very ornate and beautiful. The lanterns in the outside walk way look like old iron lanterns. At the end of the corridor, there is a very vivid life size Jesus on the Cross. It is the most realistic replication of the crucifiction that I have ever seen. You can walk on around to the Cathedral. The doors to the Cathedral are unreal. We didn't go into the Cathedral on the first visit. However, when we came back the second time and went into the Cathedral. The confession boxes are hand carved and very ornate. This is truly a must see place in Alabama!!

When I arrived at The Shrine of The Most Blessed Sacrament I was in awe. This was and is the most holy place that I have ever had the pleasure to visit. It has a beautiful Cathedral and acres of land to go with it. The shrine has many statues and other items scattered throughout the grounds. Every aspect of Christian religious life is uncovered here. There is an amazing castle on the grounds as well as The John Paul 2 Eucharistic Center. A gift shop is located in the first floor of the castle and there is a huge, carved out stone that serves as the stage for occasional shows and concerts. The inside of the church was astonding as it had huge statues and gold adorning the whole upper room. Mother Angelica, who founded EWTN(ETERNAL WORD TELEVISION NETWORK) was the driving force behind The Most Blessed Sacrament. These Holy grounds are over 400 acres of farmland. Besides the Shrine they also have a medieval style monastery where the monks actually hand make the candles used in Prayer. The floors of the church are pure marble and numerous stained glass windows. In the lower church you can find a replica of The Shroud Of Turin exhibit. This place also has Castle San Miguel which was named for Saint Michael, it has an eating area, gift shop and according to officials the Castle is intended to exemplify those who have donned the armor of God and fought for the Honor and Glory of God.