Spiritual Long Beach: The Catholic Shrine to Mary Cared for by Buddhist Monks [View all]

May 2, 2017
by James Ford


When we first arrived in Long Beach two years ago, early one evening as Jan and I were driving along the coast on Ocean Boulevard, as we came to the intersection at Redondo, we noticed a large Mary shrine. I’ve mentioned it in this blog before, it is a ubiquitous part of that drive. And as we drove by Ocean and Redondo yesterday, I thought it really is wonderful, and a subject worth revisiting.

Yesterday, the shrine like that first time we saw it, was adorned with flowers and candles already lit and maybe half a dozen people there, most standing, a few kneeling, all offering prayers. It was all quite wonderful. I also noticed the ethnic mix of people there, a healthy combination of folk whose ancestors came from, it sure looked, every continent.

And at the time what was most confusing was that it seemed attached to a Buddhist monastery. It left me wondering what was what. Why did it seem Buddhists were taking care of a Catholic shrine?

It was hard to say if the building to which it was attached had originally been a mansion, like most of the buildings on that stretch of Ocean Boulevard, and which looks unobscured across the street and over the bluff to the harbor. A million dollar view. At least. Startlingly beautiful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDLbg4TSP44yU&v=Lbg4TSP44yU

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/monkeymind/2017/05/spiritual-long-beach-catholic-shrine-mary-cared-buddhist-monks.html