We've visited the Shrine of Saint Anthony in Ellicott City many times.
Only recently I discovered that someone has placed geocaches on the grounds! The shrine has lots of trails with many interesting little spots. The first cache I went after was the easiest to find. I didn't even have to go into the woods.
The cache's name is Prisoner 16670. Maximilian Kolbe was born in Poland in 1894. At nine, he had a vision of the Virgin Mary who offered him the choice of two crowns--a red for martyrdom or a white for purity. He chose both. Later, he became a Franciscan priest. When the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, they arrested Maximilian. He was sent to Auschwitz and given the number 16670. In July 1941, a prisoner escaped camp. The camp commander had all the prisoners line up and said that because of one man's escape, ten random men would die. One of the selected men, Francis Gajowniczek, begged to be released since he hoped to be reunited with his wife and children. Maximilian volunteered to take the man's place. The Nazis put him and the nine other men naked into a hole without food or water for two weeks. Maximilian had them praying and singing hymns. When all sound ceased inside the room, the Nazis came back in. Three men were still alive, one of them Maximilian. They were executed by lethal injection. He was declared a saint in 1982 by John Paul II.
The cache is near to the small shrine and only had space to swap small items. I traded my Where's Waldo pin for a peach pin.
The other caches are along the walking trails through the woods around the Shrine.
The next cache I found was Tree House, which is indeed by a tree house in the middle of the woods. Why would Franciscan monks build a tree house? A nearby sign explains that Saint Anthony (who was a Franciscan) spent his last days in a room built in the branches of a walnut tree. He called it his sanctuary and was able to preach to the faithful who came to listen to him. This tree house is built in honor of Saint Anthony's last abode!
In the cache, someone had left some loose change. I traded my guardian angel coin (which seemed appropriate) for a quarter.
The course to the next cache, Great Commandment, took me past a small grotto with a statue of Saint Joseph.
I became a little bit turned around and wound up bushwhacking through some of the woods. Since it was late fall, the thorns and other obstacles weren't too bad. I did come on a small clearing that had lots of character. I imagine deer gathering there.
Further on, I spotted a bench. The bench faces a tree with a cross on it. The cross represents the two great commandments Jesus gave in Matthew 22: 35-40, Mark 12:28-34, and Luke 10:27--first, love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind; second, love your neighbor as yourself.
I tried to drop off a CD that we'd had for a long time but the lid of the container would not go back on. So I swapped a bunny and an eraser for a car.
Walking along I saw a dramatically fallen tree.
The final cache is called 9-11 Memorial. It's another grove in the woods, this one with a cross made of rubble from the New York September 11 attack. Behind it are the Five Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.
The cache was nearby. I was there on Veterans Day, so I took the toy soldier (which seemed appropriate) and left a plastic cake. The cache also had some candy wrappers in it, which I took and threw out later.
Geocaching at the shrine was a fun adventure and took about an hour, so it wasn't hard at all. Highly recommended!
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| The Shrine |
Only recently I discovered that someone has placed geocaches on the grounds! The shrine has lots of trails with many interesting little spots. The first cache I went after was the easiest to find. I didn't even have to go into the woods.
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| A paved path |
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| A small shelter for... |
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| St. Maximilian Kolbe |
The cache's name is Prisoner 16670. Maximilian Kolbe was born in Poland in 1894. At nine, he had a vision of the Virgin Mary who offered him the choice of two crowns--a red for martyrdom or a white for purity. He chose both. Later, he became a Franciscan priest. When the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, they arrested Maximilian. He was sent to Auschwitz and given the number 16670. In July 1941, a prisoner escaped camp. The camp commander had all the prisoners line up and said that because of one man's escape, ten random men would die. One of the selected men, Francis Gajowniczek, begged to be released since he hoped to be reunited with his wife and children. Maximilian volunteered to take the man's place. The Nazis put him and the nine other men naked into a hole without food or water for two weeks. Maximilian had them praying and singing hymns. When all sound ceased inside the room, the Nazis came back in. Three men were still alive, one of them Maximilian. They were executed by lethal injection. He was declared a saint in 1982 by John Paul II.
The cache is near to the small shrine and only had space to swap small items. I traded my Where's Waldo pin for a peach pin.
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| Swag swap |
The other caches are along the walking trails through the woods around the Shrine.
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| Entrance to adventure |
The next cache I found was Tree House, which is indeed by a tree house in the middle of the woods. Why would Franciscan monks build a tree house? A nearby sign explains that Saint Anthony (who was a Franciscan) spent his last days in a room built in the branches of a walnut tree. He called it his sanctuary and was able to preach to the faithful who came to listen to him. This tree house is built in honor of Saint Anthony's last abode!
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| Tree house |
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| View from the house |
In the cache, someone had left some loose change. I traded my guardian angel coin (which seemed appropriate) for a quarter.
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| Swag swap #2 |
The course to the next cache, Great Commandment, took me past a small grotto with a statue of Saint Joseph.
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| Another area for meditation |
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| The statue |
I became a little bit turned around and wound up bushwhacking through some of the woods. Since it was late fall, the thorns and other obstacles weren't too bad. I did come on a small clearing that had lots of character. I imagine deer gathering there.
 |
| A clearing |
Further on, I spotted a bench. The bench faces a tree with a cross on it. The cross represents the two great commandments Jesus gave in Matthew 22: 35-40, Mark 12:28-34, and Luke 10:27--first, love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind; second, love your neighbor as yourself.
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| The bench |
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| The cross |
I tried to drop off a CD that we'd had for a long time but the lid of the container would not go back on. So I swapped a bunny and an eraser for a car.
 |
| Fits length and width but not height |
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| Swag swap #3 |
Walking along I saw a dramatically fallen tree.
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| Yikes! |
The final cache is called 9-11 Memorial. It's another grove in the woods, this one with a cross made of rubble from the New York September 11 attack. Behind it are the Five Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary.
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| 9-11 Memorial |
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| The cross |
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| The Agony in the Garden |
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| The Scourging at the Pillar |
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| The Crowning of Thorns |
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| The Carrying of the Cross |
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| The Crucifixion |
The cache was nearby. I was there on Veterans Day, so I took the toy soldier (which seemed appropriate) and left a plastic cake. The cache also had some candy wrappers in it, which I took and threw out later.
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| Final swag swap |
Geocaching at the shrine was a fun adventure and took about an hour, so it wasn't hard at all. Highly recommended!
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