Each day, thousands of travelers on Interstate 95 North in Maryland drive by Our Lady of the Highways, one of the most unique Catholic shrines in the country. Many don't even realize it.
This is somewhat understandable — most people driving by a Catholic shrine aren't going around 65 miles per hour, and most Catholic shrines aren't located on the side of a major interstate highway. But Our Lady of the Highways is different from most shrines.
Administered by the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, Our Lady of the Highways has been watching over travelers for decades.
The shrine's origins, however, are rooted in an all-too-common tragedy.
On October 2, 1968, during a thick fog, three people were killed and many were injured in a massive, multi-car wreck, says the Oblates' website. The accident happened "just a few yards from an Oblate house," and many of the Oblates tended to the injured and dying on the side of the road.
Three years later, Our Lady of the Highways was erected on the site of the accident, as both a tribute to those who were killed and a reminder to drive safely.
"This monument was dedicated as a Shrine to Our Lady of the Highways to invoke Mary, Christ's mother, as the protector of travelers," said the Oblates.
Originally, Our Lady of the Highways was a 5-foot-tall cement statue of the Virgin Mary. In 1986, that original statue was replaced with a 12-foot-tall marble version.
In 2022, the shrine was re-dedicated after an extensive cleaning project.
While Our Lady of the Highways is located near mile marker 104 on I-95 North in Maryland, her reach goes much further.
The Oblates created a nationwide ministry, Mary's Travelers, to "encourage careful and prayerful journeys," no matter the destination or route.
"Members strive to make the ordinary, routine activity of travel - physical or spiritual - an act of love for God," said the Oblates' website.
