Bishop Malooly joins more than 100 at Queen of Peace shrine during summer heat wave: Photo gallery

NEW CASTLE — Bishop Malooly was joined by worshipers Aug. 19 at a public prayer vigil and consecration of the Diocese of Wilmington to Mary’s Immaculate Heart.

After reciting the rosary inside Holy Spirit Church, the group of more than 100 people gathered outdoors in the blistering heat at the Shrine of Our Lady, Queen of Peace. The temperature outside was 88 degrees, with real-feel temperature at 99 and humidity at 66 percent during the pilgrimage.

The service was held at the exact date and time of the Fourth Apparition of Fatima.

The Shrine of Our Lady, Queen of Peace takes its name from the stainless-steel statue of Mary by Charles Parks that was dedicated on the grounds of Holy Spirit Church in 2007. The statue was commissioned by a group of Wilmington-area volunteers who raised about $500,000 to purchase the two-story tall statue.

The annual diocese Marian pilgrimage rotates between the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception near the Catholic University in Washington and the Shrine of Our Lady Queen of Peace on the campus of Holy Spirit Church in New Castle.

This year’s pilgrimage is Oct. 5 in Washington. Contact your parish liaison to join Bishop Malooly and parishioners from across Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore for the visit to “Mary’s Shrine” — the largest Roman Catholic Church in North America and one of the 10 largest churches in the world.