History of the Shrine at Leopold Chapter 4

 

Above, another picture from Leopold. At the various shrines to Our Lady of Consolation, the statue is dressed differently at various times during the year. Often these garments are donated by people who have a devotion to Our Lady of Consolation. 

Leopold was the first king of Belgium. Belgian immigrants founded the town of Leopold, Indiana, and named it after the first king of Belgium. 

Following is a condensed version of the history of the Shrine that was printed for visitors to Leopold. 

September 1863 at the Battle of Chickamauga during the Civil War, Union forces were defeated. Many prisoners were taken. They were sent to the infamous POW camp at Andersonville in Georgia. Conditions there were terrible. More than 14,000 northern soldiers died there. Among the prisoners were three young men from Perry County, Indiana. They were members of St. Agustine Church in Leopold. They were Lambert Rogier, Henry Devillez and Isidore Naviaux. Being men of faith, they turned to prayer and Our Blessed Mother for help and consolation. 

Henry Devillez came to the states from Belgium as a boy of 14. He remembered the Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Luxembourg. In their present affliction, the three men made a vow that, if they survived prison, one of them would return to their native Belgium and have a replica of the statue made and bring it back to St. Agustine Church.

About 11 months later they were freed. After a number of hardships, they reached home and set about fulfilling the vow they had made to Mary. 

Mr. Rogier traveled with a Mr. John George, who made frequent trips to Belgium. They made their way to Luxembourg and had an exact copy made of the statue of Our Lady of Consolation. Mr. Rogier arrived back in New York City on July 4th of 1867. He brought the statue to Leopold. It was enshrined on the side altar at St. Agustine Chruch where it remains to this day. 

A larger marble replica of the statue was installed on the west side of the church in 1960. In 2012 a grotto was constructed for the outdoor statue. The Archbishop of Indianapolis blessed the outdoor grotto and statue in 2013. Here is the Archbishop in 2013.