Three more visits before leaving La Crosse

La Crosse must be a vortex for the Catholic religion. One of the most impressive structures in the downtown area is the Chapel of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. This order began in Milwaukee in 1849 by six Franciscan immigrants from Germany. The Sisters petitioned the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Milwaukee to allow them to build a convent from which to spread the gospel among the growing German immigrant population. The Bishop apparently did not believe this was a good use of limited resources in the diocese and declined them permission. The then Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse was open to their mission, and the order relocated there in 1871.

In 1878 the order had the inspiration to build a chapel to further their work. Starting on August 1, they prayed to the Lord for the means to build such a chapel, and made a commitment that they would engage in perpetual adoration in search of such means. The sisters of the order would take turns in their small adoration chapel, two of them always praying for the world, the church, people and the community. This practice has continued unbroken, and today the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration have been praying 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for the past 137 years.

One of the senior Sisters gave us a personal tour of the Maria Angelorum Chapel. After many years of continuous praying, the order had amassed both the funding and the following to commence the construction of their inspired chapel. Completed in 1906, the chapel is massive in size, and contains unbelievable beauty. The old world stained glass takes your breath away. The woodworking, gold, inlaid tile and marble make you feel like you might be in church in Spain or Italy rather than La Crosse Wisconsin. Sister Madeline told us that somehow the Lord has always provided for the order in miraculous ways – when they found that they needed to have major repairs made to the old world stained glass, they discovered that one of only a handful of companies that do that work was housed in Onalaska Wisconsin – just miles away.

Of all the art treasures the order had been blessed with, Sister Madeline’s favorite was the harp they had found in the attic. Apparently the harp was moved to the attic when it became in disrepair and the order did not have the funds to mend it. Sister Madeline convinced the order that if they would see to its repair, she would learn to play it for them. So the order found the funds and the artisan capable, and at 80, Sister Madeline learned to play the harp. She even played a bit for us while we were there, and lets us put our hands on the harps wooden core to feel the sound as well – it was moving.

We actually were allowed a moment to sit at the back of the adoration chapel and listen to the two sisters who were on duty praying. We were lucky enough to pay witness to a shift change (pardon my crassness) – as we observed the two sisters, two more came in and kneeled on either side of them. After the 4 of them prayed for a minute or two, a large bell chimed, and the original two got up and left. The two who had taken their places then slid to the center and continued praying.

A more recent Bishop of La Crosse, Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, had the inspiration to establish a place of lasting worship for Roman Catholics to go on pilgrimage in the Diocese of La Crosse. In 1999, he petitioned the Vatican and received permission for the construction of a shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The shrine is just a few miles from Goose Island Campground.

This is far different from the grounds of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. Dedicated in 2008, the complex is set on 100 acres of rolling Mississippi River valley and includes the Shrine Church, rosary and Stations of the Cross walks, and a votive candle chapel. Walking the heavily wooded grounds, you do get the feeling that you are a pilgrim on a pilgrimage as you make your way.

The votive chapel seemed special. I lit one of the candles commemorating the reuniting of my mom and dad after having been apart for more than 40 years. The caretaker of the chapel told me he would see to it that the candle stayed lit for a week, and would also see to it that a prayer for Phyllis and Leon Bougie would be part of the daily mass services held in the Shrine Church.

Our final venture was to Sparta Wisconsin. Sparta is the self-proclaimed biking capital of the world. Several state maintained biking trails that have been reclaimed from abandoned rail beds converge on Sparta, making a great location to head out.

We parked at the old Sparta depot building, now the local chamber of commerce HQ. We asked for a recommendation on which way to head out if we were only likely to be able to do one trail. Without hesitation she said the old Sparta spur. There are a series of 3 tunnels on this line that she says are fun to discover. She asks if we have a flashlight as the first tunnel is a mile in length – surprisingly my headlamp on my bike is still working – so we head off.

As soon as we start, the Woman is grousing a bit that it must be uphill. It does seem to me like a little effort is involved, but I say I think it is just because we are used to paved trails and this one is unpaved. Since it is an old rail bed, it must be essentially flat. I am thinking we will have no problem hitting all three tunnels – tunnel 1 is 8 miles out, tunnel 2 is at 10, and tunnel 3 is at 13. Since we did 30 miles our last biking day in Winona, I’m thinking this is a no-brainer.

We get about 4 miles in and the Woman is griping more – wanting to stop and rest now and then. The effort seems to be increasing, but I am just thinking it is because it is unpaved, and now I am getting tired to think it is getting harder. I think the Woman is about ready to concede and turn around, and someone coming the other way says it’s only about ¾ mile to tunnel 1. That reinvigorates her, and we press on.

We are coming around a bend and literally, it feels like someone has left a meat locker door open – literally a wind that could have ice crystals in it. As we get around the bend, the gaping mouth of tunnel 1 is the culprit – I can’t believe the cold blast spewing forth. We start seeing signs that say if you have been in an underground mine in the last 6 months you are prohibited by law from entering tunnel 1 – oh boy! Bats live here!

As soon as we enter tunnel 1, it is really dark, standing water, and you can hear the bats flying around and squeaking. The Woman is out of here now! I continue under the light of my bike headlamp. All is see is pure black and a pin prick of faint light in the distance – must be the other end of tunnel 1 a mile off. Even I tire of this after a bit. I know I didn’t make it half way, and I know that means good-bye to tunnels 2 and 3, but head back to find the Woman.

At the entrance to the tunnel is a residence that butts up against the state trail. The owner has a hand-painted sign out saying “Ice Cream – Water”. I tell the Woman as a celebration of at least reaching and exploring (somewhat) tunnel 1, and since we burned off a bunch of calories getting here, maybe an ice cream is in order, and she agrees. The owner is a friendly 67 year old gentleman, sitting with his 88 year old dad. He asks us if we are locals, and when we tell him we used to live in the Twin Cities, but now live in Vegas, his eyes light up. He says “You guys are smart! It’s too cold and harsh here in the winter. I have decided I need to sell this place and move somewhere warm like you guys!” I ask him what he is thinking about – Florida, Arizona, California or what? He says “I’m thinking La Crosse.” I can’t help but think “Dude! You gotta start thinkin outside of the box!”

After ice cream and some nice chatting, we start to head back. Immediately I can’t keep the speed of my bike down – I actually have to pretty much constantly use the breaks a bit. I guess the Woman was right – it really was a full 3% uphill grade on the way here. I stand corrected!

Talk to you soon!