Virgin Mary Salt Stain Shrine Remains a Thing

When I first heard Tuesday of the Pray 4 Rose shrine beneath the Kennedy Expressway on Fullerton Avenue, my first thought was that people must have turned the Virgin Mary Salt Stain shrine into one for our man Rose.

So yesterday when I went to document the shrine, I went straight to the northeast corner, at the crash scene investigation site, to take a look. To my surprise, it wasn’t there, and the original shrine to the Virgin Mary remained.

As I noted nearly a decade ago, I believe whole-heartedly that this is a place where the Virgin Mary appeared in a salt stain. Why the hell wouldn’t I believe that? It’s easy.

Here’s pics of the place, as of yesterday.

Virgin Mary Salt Stain Shrine, Emergency Parking Only. Many shades of browns and tans. Water jugs and a broom.

Virgin Mary Salt Stain Shrine. A decade of visitors have left their marks, making this a sort of pass-on poem of epic proportions, with government cleaning supplies as a staccato harmony. — Virgin Mary Salt Stain Shrine in black + white. A decade of visitors have left their marks, making this a sort of pass-on poem of epic proportions, with government cleaning supplies as a staccato harmony.

Virgin Mary Salt Stain Shrine. All caps reminiscence. — Virgin Mary Salt Stain Shrine detail. All caps reminiscence.

Virgin Mary Salt Stain Shrine. Deep hues, boxes,, wall dance, and lime. Anne Sexton kept right on going on. — Virgin Mary Salt Stain Shrine. Deep hues, boxes, wall dance, and lime. Anne Sexton kept right on going on.

We have holy places everywhere, if we want them.