Photos & Videos Copyright David & Paula Schoenadel (Unless otherwise stated)

Founded in 1848 by Redemptorist Bishop John Neumann, who later became America’s first male saint, The Shrine of Saints Peter and Paul served the growing German Catholic population in Cumberland at the time.Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos served as Pastor of the Parish & Prefect for the students from 1857-1862. After the departure of the Redemptorists and then the Carmelite Friars, the Capuchin Franciscan Friars arrived in 1875 and have served The Shrine of Saints Peter and Paul Church since then.

MASS TIMES

Monday-0800hrs

Tuesday-0800hrs

Wednesday 1830hrs

Thursday-0800hrs

Friday-0800hrs

Address

125 Fayette Street

On the nights of Saturday 15th & Wednesday 19th June thieves twice stole sacred items and garden chairs from the Seelos Prayer Garden which is located at the Shrine of St Peter & St Paul in Cumberland, Maryland, U.S.A. Both times the thieves were caught on Video Surveillance Cameras which were installed at the Shrine a few years ago.

Amongst the items which were stolen on the first night were a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and a table and chairs which are pictured below.

This thief has still not been identified and police are continuing their investigations into this crime. As can be expected those who regulaly use the Shrine for worship are extremely upset about this sacrilegious behaviour. Joe George, who runs the group, "Save the Shrine of SS Peter & Paul" told the group of supporters on Facebook, "It is with sadness I have to report that over the weekend a statue of Jesus and a table & chairs were stolen from the outdoor prayer garden at the Shrine of SS Peter & Paul, 127 Fayette St. on 2 different occasions. Attempts were also made to take the Blessed Seelos statue from the grotto. The Friends of the Shrine had installed security cameras from TWR several years ago so some photos of the suspect have been provided to the Cumberland Police Department and they are investigating. Neighbors in the area should remain alert. So disappointing that someone would attempt to desecrate a holy & historic place set up for prayerful reflection and to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings & views of Cumberland. Pray for the perpetrators as well as our excellent & responsive police department."  

The second theft took place at 2300hrs 19th June. Joe told the group "

The Shrine on Holy Hill has been there since 1848. The Monastery grounds has been home to many holy persons, and prayers, & reflections have been made there by many. The Bleesed Mother Mary statue, imported from Italy, has been overlooking the City of Cumberland since the early 1950’s, almost 75 years. The prayer garden was expanded in 2020 with the grotto & statue of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, who served SS Peter & Paul in the 1860’s & was known for his kindness & healing intercession. He is on his way to canonization as a Saint in the Catholic Church.

Other Statues include the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Blessed Mother Mary, St. Francis of Assisi, St. John Nuemann, founder of SS Peter & Paul, the first declared American male saint, and the Stations of the Cross. The Prayer Garden is open to the public 7 am - 10 pm for all to enjoy for respectful reflection, prayerful solitude, meditation, and to enjoy the beautiful vistas of the City of Cumberland (no overnight camping on the private property.)

Please pray for and assist those homeless, especially during this heat wave, and those inflicted with mental illness. Prayer & Devotion to God is needed in our society now more than ever."

ALL PHOTOS COPYRIGHT "SAVE THE SHRINE OF SS PETER & PAUL" CUMBERLAND

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Video & Photos © Michael R. Porter

The Statue of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos located in the Blessed Seelos Payer Garden attached to the Shrine of St Peter & Paul in Cumberland is once again in the news!

The Catholic Review which is the Archdiocesan Media outlet for Baltomore today published an artcile about the Statue and the up and coming Blessing which will take place this Sunday 1st October 2023. Included within the article is a photo of the Scultor Wayman Scott IV touching his work of art within the garden.

The full article can be read HERE

A   Blessing & Dedication of the Stature of Blessed Seelos,which is located in the Seelos Prayer Garden will take place at 1300hrs on the 1st October and the Seelos Healing Mass is at 0800hrs 5th October 2023,the Feast of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos.Blessed Seelos served the Cumberland community from 19th May 1857 until 1862.Founded in 1848 by Redemptorist Bishop John Neumann, who later became America’s first male saint, The Shrine of Saints Peter and Paul served the growing German Catholic population in Cumberland at the time.Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos served as Pastor of the Parish & Prefect for the students from 1857-1862. After the departure of the Redemptorists and then the Carmelite Friars, the Capuchin Franciscan Friars arrived in 1875 and have served The Shrine of Saints Peter and Paul Church since then.

©Joe George Cumberland.

A group of pro-life cyclists from Columbus,Ohio who are on their way to Washington,DC arrived at the Shrine of St Peter & Paul in Cumberland at 0630hrs this morning.

They are part of the 2023 National Ride which has 79 young adult missionaries aged 18-39 years old travelling over 100 miles a day for 6 days raising awareness and financial support for America`s pregnancy resource centres.The event takes place from the 10-15th July this year.In 2022 56 riders raised over $260,000 for the cause.

The group had wanted to visit during last years event but unfortunatly ran out of time. This years team which visited the Shrine consisted of Chris Sims,Ben Sanders,Marianne Rodriguez,Charles Jardine,Jessica Kantra,Joe Gagliardi,Mary Bookwalter,Robbie Commodari,Andrew Wenman & Father Ed Guilloux, a Catholic Priest from Arlington Diocese who is currently serving at St John the Apostle in Leesburg,VA.

© Photo copyright David & Paula Schoenadel Cumberland

The Group had stopped overnight in Cumberland and were shown around the Shrine at 0630hrs this morning. They were were informed about Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos and the 5 years he spent as Pastor of the Parish & Prefect for the students from 1857-1862.Some of the group also took time to visit the Seelos Prayer garden & grotto.

© Photo copyright David & Paula Schoenadel Cumberland

Joe George who is Chairman of the board of directors of  "The Friends of the Shrine of St Peter & Paul" told us "A group from “Biking for Babies” stopped at the Shrine of SS Peter & Paul today at 6:30 am for prayerful reflection and a tour, as they continue to travel by bike to Washington, DC. This Right to Life group, supporting pregnancy resource centers, has been biking from Columbus, Ohio to DC with a final celebration of life at a Church in Arlington, VA. Part of a National ride from July 9-16. The group is from various parts of the country and also has international members. They stopped overnight last night in Cumberland, MD, the convergence of the Great Allegany Passage trail from Pittsburgh, PA with the C&O Canal trail from Cumberland to Washington, DC. May the good Lord guide them & protect them on their journey as they spread their message of love. They also showed a great interest in St John Neumann who founded the church in 1848. Ann Getty is involved in a local Pregnancy Resource Center and she recommended it to them last year. It was great to see they made it this year!"

For more information and to support the riders of "Bikers for Babies" visit their website

PHOTOS ©-David Schoenadel &Paula Schoenadel;CUMBERLAND

Thanks to the hard efforts of David & Paula Schoenadel, the Shrine of St  Peter & Paul in Cumberland,Maryland,U.S.A. finally has placed their new statue of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos in the grotto they both built in the Prayer Garden next to the Shrine.Blessed Seelos served in Cumberland between May 19th 1857-and 1862 as Pastor of the Parish and Prefect of students in the Redemptorist Seminary.

A blessing of the Statue is being arranged for a future date.

The Shrine of St Peter & St Paul in Cumberland is looking forward to at last having the statue of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos in the grotto within the Seelos Prayer Garden.

David and Paula Schoenadel told the members of the Save the Shrine of St Peter & Paul Facebook page    "Blessed Seelos statue update-We have scheduled a day next week for picking up the statue of Blessed Seelos from Wayman Scott of Baltimore,Md. Wayman is the artist who has sculpted the statue made specially for the grotto located at the Blessed Seelos Prayer Garden. It is one of its kind. When weather becomes more steadily favorable in the Spring, Blessed Seelos will be placed in his very own long awaited grotto. Plans are in the making for a dedication Blessing to take place after Blessed Seelos is placed in the grotto." 

The Shrine where Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos and Saint John Neumann served is celebrating its 175th Anniversary this year. Joe George the President of the board of directors of the Friends of the Shrine told us "Every 5 years the Archdiocese requires a formal inspection of Church facilities to do a condition assessment by an independent firm. The Friends of the Shrine paid $3,000 for an inspection by Bureau Veritas for the Archdiocese. All in all, for a 175 year old building, the 41 page report was favorable. There are 3 issues that we will be addressing:

https://donorbox.org/friends-of-the-shrine-of-saints..."

 

Joe also wrote the following on the groups Facebook page "As we begin to celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the Shrine of SS Peter & Paul and work to raise an endowment fund to be able to preserve & maintain the Shrine for years to come, we sent a mailing to approximately 400 of faithful Shrine supporters in the past. Attached is a copy of the letter & tri fold brochure. Please click on the photo attachments to read more. Many have responded already. We don’t have all the addresses of the 1000 followers to the Save the Shrine Facebook page but each of you can help make a difference for the Shrines’ future. Any donation amount is appreciated. Some have donated $175 in honor of the Anniversary year. Please keep the Shrine & our Board in your prayers. Should you wish to make a donation you can mail it to:

Friends of the Shrine of SS Peter & Paul, P.O. Box 1876, Cumberland, MD 21502 or donate on line via our website How to Help Donate page:

https://www.friendsoftheshrine.com

https://donorbox.org/friends-of-the-shrine-of-saints...

Thank you!"

 

 

Seelos in Füssen is pleased to bring you a breaking news story from the Shrine of Ss Peter & Paul, Cumberland. For over a year they have been trying to get a statue of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos for their prayer garden. Today on the Feast of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos it is finally finished

Photo Copyright Wayman Scott Artist Wayman Scott

The Prayer Garden Grotto where the statue will be placed.

https://www.friendsoftheshrine.com/

Friends of the Shrine of Saints Peter and Paul is  a 501c non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Shrine of Saints Peter & Paul Church, located at 125 Fayette St., Cumberland, MD. Built in 1848, the church was Founded by St. John Newman and was served by Blessed Fr. Seelos. Originally, the Shrine of Saints Peter and Paul Church largely served the German-Catholic population in Cumberland.

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Our Mission

• Preserve, protect, and maintain the Shrine as a Catholic place of worship.

• Raise $500,000 over a 5 year period and establish an endowment for Shrine Maintenance.

• Promote pilgrimage, tourism, prayer, and the history of the Shrine.

• Promote Catholic ideals, Missionary Discipleship, and Evangelization.

• Promote the canonization of Blessed Fr. Seelos.

• Promote dedication to the Blessed Mother Our Lady of the Mountains, SS Peter & Paul, St. Joseph, St. Francis of Assisi, St. John Neumann, St. Therese of the Little Flower, Blessed Fr. Seelos.

• Recruit and train volunteers as guides for pilgrimage and tours and to provide security for extended opening hours at the Shrine.

• Promote the history and impact of the German immigrants to the local Catholic community.

• Establish a network of volunteers and experts for maintenance issues.

Inside the Shrine

If you are using Google Chrome Browser and cannot see the video please follow the link below

https://rumble.com/vvrtgd-shrine-of-st-peter-and-st-paul-cumberland.html

For those using the Google Chrome Browser please click the link below 

https://rumble.com/vvtyb1-video-of-the-outside-of-the-shrine-of-st-peter-and-st-paul-cumberland.html

Altar at the National Shrine of St John Neumann at St Peter the Apostle Catholic Church,1019N 5th Street,Philadelphia.John Neumann was responsible for building St Peter & St Paul,Cumberland and was the first Parish Priest with Father Francis Xavier Seelos as his Curate.

Photo Credit-kevps100 - Wikepedia 

• CC BY-SA 4.0

https://www.germanmarylanders.org/churches/st-peter-paul-cumberland

Origional Shrine of "Our Lady of the Mountains" in Füssen,Germany

Full Text & Photos of

"Fifty years of SS. Peter and Paul's Church at Cumberland, Md. 1848-1898."

Pages About Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos in above book

https://archive.org/stream/fiftyyearsofsspe00cumb/fiftyyearsofsspe00cumb_djvu.txt

PHOTOS-© David & Paula Schoenadel Cumberland

Meet 43 year old African-American artist Wayman Scott from Baltimore,Maryland, U.S.A. He has agreed to help the Shrine of St Peter & St Paul in Cumberland to finally be able to place a statue in their Seelos Prayer Garden Grotto!(Photo below)

For nearly a year the grotto has been awaiting a statue, David & Paula Schoenadel told us "The mockup Blessed Seelos sculpture is underway. Wayman Scott out of Baltimore,Md has been very gracious in every way and has been working on the mockup sculpture for the Blessed Seelos grotto at the Blessed Seelos prayer garden. The mockup is completed first to see what edits and so forth are needed. He may change the book to a hand position to the chest. We have left this to his discretion as he would know what would hold up best over time. Friends of ours saw an article of Wayman in the Catholic review about a year ago. They passed the information on to us and we made contact through a Parish Priest and the author of the article in the Catholic review. " 

This original sculpture should be ready in July. Seelos in Füssen look forward to seeing the finished statue in the Seelos Prayer Garden Grotto.

David & Paula Schoenadel report from Cumberland- "Wayman is finishing up with the final sculpture of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos for the grotto in the Prayer Garden. He has a added the rosary which hangs from the cincture.

He says he is thankful for the opportunity to be able to do this and learn more about Blessed Seelos. He believes he is a Saint we need in this day amd age of a world recovering from a pandemic!He says he is such a humble and pious priest giving his life to care for those during the yellow fever outbreak.He said it was an honour building it.

The next steps are

1)Dry for at least 4 weeks. 2)Bisque-First firing. 3)Glaze-Second firing. "

Thank you Wayman for your excellent work on this very special sculptor for the Prayer Garden at SSPP Shrine.

Many thanks to Joe & Maggie Sank who read about Wayman in the Catholic Review when an artist was needed.This was perfect timing-Prayers answered!

                                         Photo Credit-Joe George  Cumberland

Photo Credit-Joe George  Cumberland

The following article appeared in the

Paintings by Dr.Miriam Rosenthal-English

During each Friday in Lent the Shrine will be open in the afternoons (Friday’s only) 2:30-4pm for prayerful reflection. If you miss the Stations of the Cross done by OLM that day, you can stop by the Shrine and say them yourself privately. At 3 pm each Friday in Lent, we will recite the Divine Mercy Chaplet at the Shrine. Please come join us & help prepare for the coming of the Lord.

Whilst serving at St Peter & St Paul Church in Cumberland, St John Neumann would often make a 16 mile trip to Lonaconing where there lived a small group of German Families. He celebrated in Mass in this stone house in Knapps Meadow Lonaconing where mass was held by the Redemptorists before there was a Church established in the area.

Photo Credit: David & Paula Schoenadel  Cumberland