Vol. 5 No. 7
Center for Peace
November 10, 2010 Inside This Issue...
Servants of Mary Shrine
Servants of Mary Center for Peace in Windsor features a 50-foot statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe towering above the landscape and reflected in the Lake of Hope, which is surrounded by the world’s largest illuminated 15-decade rosary. The lights come on at dusk and stay on until 10 p.m. The center for peace symbolizes a Geauga family’s gratitude for divine intervention that returned their lost family farm to them. (Post Photos/Nancy Huth)
By Nancy Huth
after losing the farmhouse, the family traveled to Philadelphia and then to England where Ed found work. Through a miracle, the farm, which the bank had been unable to sell, came back into Ed and Pat’s hands two years later. In thanksgiving for this answer to prayer, the Heinzes dedicated their farm to the Lord and promised to build a shrine to Our Lady. They named their property “Servants of Mary Center for Peace” and put up a large tent to host their first program with Tony Zuniga, an American faith-based motivational s p e a k e r w i t h M e x i c a n a n c e s t r y, addressing the audience. When asked by Ed and Pat where he thought they should erect a shrine to
Postal Customer Local / ECRWSS
By Ellie Behman
OR CURRENT RESIDENT
Middlefield Post P.O. Box 626 Middlefield, OH 44062
PreSort Std U.S. Postage PAID Middlefield, OH 44062 Permit No. 77
As you drive onto the Ireland Road property in Windsor, a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe* in the field beyond the lake looms larger and larger. Stand at her feet, and you are stretching your head back to take in the whole 50 feet of structure. The story behind the shrine is an amazing one. The land and 120-year-old farmhouse on 50 acres was bought by Pat and Ed Heinz in 1987 to house their growing family of nine children. As people of deep faith, they watched as their lives were interrupted by a series of events that would alter them forever. Ed, a nuclear engineer, first lost his private investments, then his job and land as he and Pat were forced into bankruptcy. In 1990,
Our Lady, Tony suggested an island in a small lake in the field behind their house. Tony had big dreams and thought a 33-foot statue (one foot for each year of Christ’s life) honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe would be just right. The Heinzes said if he could find a sculptor, they would have it built. Within two weeks, again almost miraculously, Richard Hyslin, an art professor at a university in Texas, took on the project with eight students. They built the statue and brought it in pieces to Windsor for assembly. Then they covered it with almost a half-million colored mosaic tiles. The structure with its base was finished in 1995 and reaches a height of 50 feet. At 33 feet, the statue is the largest of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the world. Continued on page 2
Spotlight On ... KSU Geauga Page 13
Think Ahead & Save Page 19
Christmas Calendar Pages 20 & 23
Bits and Pieces of Yesterday See Plain Country
A Family Thanksgiving
The scent of hickory smoke from the wood burning stove wafted throughout the basement as we prepared to eat one of mom’s fabulous holiday dinners so many years ago. It was 1950, and we were celebrating Thanksgiving with the family. I can still remember the taste of mom’s wild rice and stuffing as well as the golden brown turkey that sat before us. The hot juices trickled down onto the plate as we took turns breaking off a piece of meat to sample. It was always a happy occasion when we got together, and the hours sped by before anyone ventured upstairs. To our surprise, it had been snowing and the driveway was well covered by early afternoon. More time was spent enjoying mom’s superb desserts and hot coffee, and no one was in a hurry to go home – that is, until someone called us upstairs to see what had transpired outdoors.
The driveway was now impassable, the cars encased in huge mounds of snow. There was no way anyone could leave, so mom brought out the pillows and blankets and our sleepover had begun. Morning brought with it hot steaming coffee, thick fluffy pancakes and slab bacon. Dad entertained us with his violin while mom stood behind him and rolled her eyes, as if to say, “Not again.” Even though he may have hit some “questionable” notes, there was no sweeter music around. Dad’s eyes sparkled with happiness, and the warm memories he left behind have not dimmed throughout the years. My sister-in-law and I decided that we would attempt to walk to the nearest store (two miles away) Continued on page 2