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Important Updates: Details for Bishop Rhoades’s Mass August 6, 2022

July 15, 2022
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Events Add to Historic Past, Point to Future

Important Updates
August 4, 2022

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We are so excited to be welcoming Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades to the Our Lady, Patroness of America Center this Saturday. And equally excited to be welcoming you, her pilgrims.

We are most thankful for the many volunteers that have helped us get ready for this day. It is also very exciting to know that over 600 pilgrims will be in attendance. It looks like Our Lady is taking care of the weather for us here in Northeast, Indiana. Saturday’s forecast is delightful and dry!

Here are just a few updates for your trip.

We have added a Vigil Service for 7:00 P.M. Friday (8/5) to venerate the sacred relic of St. Agnes of Rome, Virgin and Martyr. Details…

There is major road construction just outside our door. Please see Visit Rome City for details and a fast and easy way around.

We have parking for 600 cars and seats for 850 people. We may have more people than seats. So if you have a few extra lawn chairs then throw them in the car – to use or to share. The Mass will be live streamed to outside the Chapel.  

We will have golf carts running from parking to the Entrance for those with mobility limits.
After Mass, grilled lunch featuring Tim Didier Meats of Fort Wayne – Free!

 

Original Post:  We can’t wait to welcome you to the Holy Mass offered here on August 6th, 2020.

We are preparing for Bishop Rhoades’s visit to the Our Lady, Patroness of America Center to consecrate our new altar, bless our Chapel, and celebrate Holy Mass.  Afterwards we will have an afternoon to celebrate this great gift with a cookout and music.  Bring the family.

Just recently confirmed, Bishop Rhoades will do one more thing as part of these liturgical events.   He will rename the chapel to The Oratory of the Holy Family!  He determined this name is more fitting because of the chapel’s canonical status as an oratory.  But more so, it is recognition that imitation of the Holy Family is a sure path in obtaining the gift of purity which Our Lady, the Immaculate Virgin, Patroness of America wants for us.

The Holy Family is the perfect example of the life that Our Lady wants for us.  She calls us to imitate the familial life in their little home in Nazareth wherein Divinity and Humanity lived in perfect harmony, peace and purity. Renaming the chapel is yet another example of Bishop Rhoades’s clear understanding of this devotion and Our Lady’s hope for her children.  

Help Make the Day Better for Everyone - RSVP

To make this day, the best it can be for you, we need to have an idea of how many are attending.   Please help us out by completing the RSVP form.   We know that we will have more pilgrims than the chapel can seat, so we will have overflow in the conference room and in a huge outdoor tent with live streaming of the Mass in all overflow locations.  Your RSVP does not get you a reserved seat but will help us be better prepares so that all will have a seat.  But how well we do is dependent on you letting us know.  However, if you forget to RSVP still feel free to attend.

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Caution! Detour

The intersection of State Road 9 and Northport Road where you would normally enter the grounds is closed for construction.  It is not passable at all.  A detour is provided that will get you to the center. 

The detour will add about 5 minutes to your trip time.

Check Current Detour for details.

 

Special Needs

If you have special needs during your visit, please let us know.  We will do our best to accommodate.  Call the office at 260-303-4990

Streaming

If you are unable to attend in person, but would like to participate remotely you may STREAM LIVE HERE

What to pack

If you  are staying for the afternoon be sure to pack:

  • Weather appropriate clothing
  • Favorite beverage (Coolers are welcome)
  • Snacks
  • Sunblock / Sun hats
  • Bug spray – the post Mass events will be outside
  • Lawn Chair

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New Updates Made to Summer Schedule

May 23, 2022
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Make Our Lady of America part of your summer!

Will your summer travel take you through Northeast Indiana?   We are just a short 20 minute detour from Interstate 80, 90 & 69.  See Visit Rome City

Bishop's Mass is Pinnacle Celebration of 2022

August 6, 2022: 

Bishop Kevin Rhoades will be offering Holy Mass, Blessing the Chapel and Consecrating a newly constructed Altar of Sacrifice.  

After Mass we will have food and entertainment!

See Bishop’s Mass

Memorial Day Weekend

May 28 & 30

Holy Mass Monday, May 30 at 11:00 in Thanksgiving and Remembrance for those who have served.

The Our Lady, Patroness of America Center will be open Saturday, May 28 and Monday, May 30 from 10:00-3:00.  Tours available.

See Event

Fr. Osman Ramos, F.M. - First Saturday Mass

June 4:

First Saturday Mass, Confession and Tours.

See Events

Fr. Kevin Haines, Pastor and Author - First Saturday Mass

July Fourth Weekend  – July 2 & 4

First Saturday Mass, Confessions and Tours.

Our Lady, Patroness of America Center will be open 10:00-3:00 on Monday July 4th.

See Event

 

Labor Day Weekend - First Saturday Mass

September 3 & 5

First Saturday Mass, Confessions and Tours.

Our Lady, Patroness of America Center will be open 10:00-2:00 on Monday September 5.

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Special Memorial Day Weekend Hours

May 2, 2022
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The Our Lady, Patroness of America Center will be open on Saturday May 28 – 10:00-3:00PM and on Monday May 30 – 10:00-3:00 PM.   This is an especially appropriate time to call on Our Lady, Patroness of America as intercessor for our nation.

Chapel will be open and tours will be available.

Check back as we are hoping to have a Mass on one of those days.

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Historic Water Tower Gets Demolished – Watch Timelapse

May 2, 2022
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The historic water tower that graced the panarama of the Our Lady, Patroness of America Center was demolished due to safety concerns.   While we are sad to see it taken down it was a danger to life and propery.  During demolition the tower was found to be at even greater risk than determined in the inspection.  Praise God that it stayed standing, life and property were spared. 

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UPDATE ON GOAL! Christmas Appeal with 2-for-1 Match

May 2, 2022
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Stretch Goal Exceeded!

Updated May2, 2022: Praise God!  After the First Saturday Mass in March our stretch goal was exceeded, completely using all the 2-1 Match offered by our Board of Directors.  

What a team we have.   Dedicated and prayerful pilgrims, a generous and committed Board, hardworking volunteers and staff combine to make this joyful and fun.  God’s Providence shines through in so many ways.

With this we have commissioned the creation of a new and permanent Altar of Sacrifice, that we hope will be in place by August 6, 2022, when Bishop Rhoades will be offering Holy Mass at the Chapel.

We just received plans to construct a water filling station where Pilgrims can easily and safely access water from the spring.  The project will start immediately.

Thank you to all who have made this possible.  God Bless you!

We have a problem! But it’s a good problem.

Just as we thought the number of pilgrims coming to Rome City would start to fall off as winter approaches, November came, and the number of pilgrims keeps climbing! Same in December. Our Lady is calling her Children and we her children are answering.

And then on December 8 we made public Bishop Rhoades Decree naming the Our Lady, Patroness of America Center a place of pilgrimage! See PressRelease.

Great! So where is the problem you ask? As the word spreads of Our Lady’s intercessory response to our pilgrim’s prayers we know that next year will see a continued increase and we need to be ready!

Over the last three years we have raised nearly $2 Million to recover the Chapel and make it welcoming to pilgrims. We tore down 4 dilapidated townhomes and replaced it with 200 new parking spaces. We brought electricity, water, gas, and sewers back into the building, much of which was removed by copper thieves over the last ten years or lost to deferred maintenance. The broken Chapel heat and A/C was replaced, and new modern bathrooms were added which can accommodate up to 1,000 pilgrims per day. All of this was necessary to just open the doors to pilgrims, which we did in March. All of this was done through the staunch support of our Board and a few very generous benefactors. As the year progressed, we saw a surprising rise in the level of pilgrims who have supported our work prayerfully and financially. It appears that Heaven is blessing this mission!

Now we are seeing the fruits of these investments. We frequently learn of healings – spiritual and physical. We hear of answered prayers. And we are most frequently told that this is a special place where God’s peace and Our Lady’s love is manifest.

As we look to 2022, we see the need to keep doing more to serve our pilgrims and to preserve the great treasure of this devotion along with the beautiful chapel and grounds. To keep the progress going…

…our board is personally committing up to $350,000 in a two-for-one match, for all donations postmarked or received through Epiphany January 6, 2022. (extended to March)

What this means is that if we receive $175,000 in donations the board will match it with $350,000. We will then have $525,000 to move into the next phase! Here’s what we will do with that success:

  • Spread the word – Invest in broader outreach in response to Our Lady’s call to “Bring me my children, all my children.”
  • Expand devotionals: Commission smaller replica statues, banners, pocket medals and many more items.
  • Recover the Convent Chapel where Sr. Mary Ephrem was inspired in prayer to describe the devotion to Our Lady of America.
  • Make the water from the spring more accessible to all including limited mobility pilgrims.
  • Repair roof in the Chapel and Sacristy.
  • Complete painting the interior of the Chapel.
  • Find appropriate altar, pews and restore the sanctuary walls.
  • Paint the exterior of the Chapel.
  • Inspect, clean, and repair all the stained glass.
  • Provide for overflow attendance at Masses in the welcome center and conference room via audio/video feed.
  • Re-establish the Our Lady of Lourdes grotto on Holy Family hill.

Ok, here’s the reality. It will take more than $500,000 to get all that done. But we can make a huge leap in making the Center capable of supporting the large number of pilgrims who come seeking Our Lady’s intercession.

But with the support of our major benefactors, we now have another problem. While they are continuing their support, it puts us at risk of losing our Public Charity Status. IRS regulations require that at least 1/3 of our support (averaged over a 5-year period) come from sources that do not individually exceed 2% of the total donations (Currently about $50,000). Due to the few large gifts that got us started and open, we are at risk of not meeting that threshold for 2021 and could lose our public charity status. We are about $50,000 short to make the math work. It only takes one gift of $50,000 or a multitude of smaller ones. If we do not make the threshold, we will find ourselves at the mercy of IRS to look at the facts and circumstances and determine if we can remain a public charity… not a good situation. So, any donation, of any amount will help. There is none too small!

We are very blessed to be able to do this work for Our Lady, the Immaculate Virgin, Patroness of America. We hope that your prayerful discernment will guide you in joining this mission in a greater way!

God bless,

Al Langsenkamp, President                                                                  Larry Young,  Manager

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Why is the Pope’s Consecation so important?

March 24, 2022
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Friday March 25, 2022, the Feast of the Annunciation, His Holiness, Pope Francis in unity with all the Bishops of the world will Consecrate humanity and especially Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. 

With war raging in Ukraine and the risk of escalation real, in our fear we are turning to Heaven to help us – and rightly so. But what is the connection between a war in Ukraine and the consecration planned for March 25th by Pope Francis? 

While the focus is on the war and aggression of Russia upon the people of Ukraine the real issue here is the battle between humanity and satan. War is the manifestation of evil at an extreme level. Satan, in his envy of humanity and vengeance towards God, wants to destroy us and all creation. War is one of his most effective means. 

Satan believes that he is better than humanity. It is true that before his fall from grace he occupied a higher state than us. All of fallen humanity was under his dominion until something extraordinary – Mary was conceived without sin! She alone was held free from the dominion and power of satan. But then something even more extraordinary happened – God became Man through Our Lady, the Immaculate Virgin. Christ’s conception is celebrated on the Feast of the Annunciation, the very same day that Pope Francis has chosen for this consecration. Is Pope Francis making a point? You bet he is!

The Defeat of satan and evil

The Holy Trinity holds the power to defeat evil and vanquish them to hell forever.  A mere Divine Thought would accomplish this. But the Trinity has chosen not to use their sheer omnipotent authority and power to do so. Instead, the Holy Trinity has chosen to work through the redemptive acts of Jesus Christ and the fiat, humility and purity of Our Lady.  You see, Heaven does not care much about vanquishing satan to Hell. That battle is already decided. Heaven is infinitely more interested in the salvation and sanctification of each and every one of us!  That is why there was the Passion of Our Lord and the Sorrows of Our Lady. For the understanding of our limited intellect, these are real and relatable illustrations of Heaven’s infinite Love towards humanity.

The Annunciation Rome City Indiana

But here is where the plan of Heaven becomes extraordinary. While God posses the power to vanquish satan he chooses to have that victory come not directly from his hand, but from the fiat, humility and purity of the Virgin which He alone has formed. He wants the victory to come through humanity as another illustration of His love for us. Also, it is Heaven saying that we too, through His Grace and only through His Grace, can defeat evil. He is pointing to the Immaculate Virgin, as the one we should strive to imitate to overcome evil and sin in our lives. 

Pope Francis’s act of consecrating all of humanity to the Immaculate Virgin is connecting each and every soul with the holiness of the Immaculate Virgin to defeat satan and sin. Based on limited research this is the first time that a Pope and all the Bishops have consecrated all souls, the people of the world to the Immaculate Virgin. In prior consecrations the Popes have referred to places and nations. This is a powerful distinction. 

Once again Heaven is giving us the grace and the means by which we can participate with Him in the salvation of souls. In this consecration, we call upon her, the only spotless one of our humanity to go before the Throne of God seeking permission to once again defeat evil. It’s God’s call, but God so loves the Immaculate Virgin, that if she is the one asking, the answer is always – Yes. 

Further, in this act of consecration we are joined to the Immaculate Virgin, and we participate in her triumph over sin and all evil. 

Since war is a manifestation of evil and Our Lady, the Immaculate Virgin possesses the grace to overcome evil, therein is the connection between the consecration and the war in Ukraine. Overcome evil and the war stops.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary Rome City Indiana

There are two things that we need to contemplate to understand Our Lady’s role in this.  First, she is the greatest of all creation.   Second, she possesses in her nature by Grace, the power and certainty to defeat satan in each and every encounter.  

Our Lady, the Immaculate Virgin is the greatest of all creation.  As a paradox, it is not her intellect, skill or any other human attribute that makes her the greatest.  It is her total Fiat (“Yes”) to the Will of God that sets her on the path to this greatness.  Her total focus on fulfilling the Divine Will is the foundation for her humility and purity.  Together these attributes, practiced by her to the limits creation, have opened her heart to the infinite Graces of God.  And these Graces elevate her nearest of all creation to the Holy Trinity.  However, as a word of caution, so as to never be confused, the Blessed Virgin Mary is human and is not Divine (even though one of her many titles is Theotokos – Mother of God).

The first recorded proclamation of her Fiat is at the Annunciation when she proclaims “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38).  It was her Fiat that opened that pathway for Divinity to enter humanity in the person of Jesus Christ.  This “Fiat MIhi” (Let it be done to me as you say) is also celebrated on the Feast of the Annunciation, the very same day that Pope Francis has chosen for this consecration. Again, is Pope Francis making a point? You bet he is!

It is profitable for us to learn from this example of the Blessed Virgin.  Saying “Yes” to God in all things without fear, hesitation or limitation allows for God’s Miracles of Grace to operate in our souls too. Our ultimate holiness is proportionally related to the completeness and perfection of our fiat to the will of God, because He is the only source of Grace resulting in Holiness.

What Our Lady asked at Fatima regarding the consecration of Russia to Her Immaculate Heart has been widely reported (click for details). In addition to the his definitive accomplishment of that request, what Pope Francis is asking of Heaven goes beyond preventing the spread of evils that plague Russia. He is asking that all of humanity be taken into union with the perfect fiat, humility and purity of Our Lady for the defeat of evil. If through Grace and our individual fiat this union is accomplished, then this is a pivotal point in salvation history.

Our Lady of America, Rome City, IN

In the devotion to Our Lady, the Immaculate Virgin, Patroness of America, she asks that we strive in imitation of her and the Holy Family in their Fiat, Humility and Purity. The efficacy of this consecration is dependent on our individual response.  This devotion gives very specific guidance to the faithful in fulfilling our consecration. With the grace of God, one person can change the world for the better. Say “Yes!” to Our Lord, say “Fiat!” In Grace, each of us has an opportunity to be such a person.  

With all of this said about Our Lady’s role in defeating evil, which is the primary purpose of this consecration, let us recognize this is her secondary mission. Her primary mission is always to bring souls to salvation that is only found in her Son, Jesus Christ. These two missions go hand-in-hand but let there be no confusion as to which one has primacy.

Please participate in your parish, prayer community or individually with Pope Francis, all the Bishops, Clergy and Faithful in this grace filled event. For those who are close enough to the Our Lady, Patroness of America Center please join us in-person (details)

Please stop and pray right now! Pope Francis needs your prayers for protection. Satan will stop at nothing to keep this from happening.

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Pope Leads World in Historic Act of Consecration

March 23, 2022
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Friday March 25, 2022, the Feast of the Annunciation, His Holiness, Pope Francis in unity with all the Bishops of the world will Consecrate humanity and especially Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. 

The Our Lady, Patroness of America Center will join in solidarity and prayer with this historic act. The Center will open at 10:00 AM. Eucharistic Adoration will start at 11:00 and conclude with Benediction. At noon, Fr. Osman Ramos, F.M. will preside as we join in the prayer of consecration with Pope Francis, Bishop Kevin Rhoades and all the Bishops and Clergy of the world.  Please join us.

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Save the Date! Bishop Kevin Rhoades to Offer Holy Mass

February 21, 2022
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SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, August 6, 2022, at 11:00 AM EDT, Bishop Kevin Rhoades is scheduled to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the Our Lady, Patroness of America Center in Rome City, Indiana.  

This date is both the First Saturday of the month and the Feast of the Transfiguraion.

Please plan to attend to show your support for the devotion to Our Lady, the Immaculate Virgin, Patroness of America. As a community we need to show our appreciation to Bishop Rhoades for establishing the Our Lady, Patroness of America Center as a recognized place of pilgrimage and allowing the Sacraments in the chapel.

He has given Our Lady and Patroness a place where she will provide graces of healing and conversion to those who come seeking her intercession. 

What Bishop Rhoades has done in allowing this devotion to flourish is an exceptional act of pastoral care and faith in the lay faithful. Please come and join with us in offering thanks and prayers for what he has done. And please join us in prayer that Heaven’s plans for this work will be accomplished.

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A Member of The Holy Family?

February 17, 2022
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As we head into spring, I draw your attention to Holy Family Hill which is part of the south lawn of the Our Lady, Patroness of America Center’s 62-acre pilgrimage site.  This hill which is elevated about 30 feet above the surrounding lawn and fields is a place where many pilgrims experience in a special way, Our Lady’s consolation and peace.  On the top of the hill is a statue of the Holy Family and an area where pilgrims gather to say the Rosary.

As our Lord completed his Passion on the Cross, he gives His Mother, Our Lady to Saint John to be his mother, and he gives Saint John to His Mother to be her son (John 19:26-27).  Catholic teaching says that St. John is the stand in for all Christians and that we too are sons and daughters of the Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God.  

In this moment she is given to us as Our Mother, and we as her children in a familiar relationship.  She is the Mother of Christians, the Church and all seeking salvation.  It is evident that through this Divine Decree of Our Lord, we are members of the Holy Family too.  O, such graces that are given to us her children, the adopted sons and daughters of the Holy Family!

The mystery does not end there…

For Our Lady, to be chosen as the Mother of Christ is an unimaginable privilege and obligation, requiring someone of perfect holiness and absolute humility.  But there are other extraordinary titles of Our Lady in addition to her title as Mother of God.   She is also the Daughter of the Father and Spouse of the Holy Spirit, in addition to the Mother of the Son.  Our Lady has a familiar relationship with each Person of the Holy Trinity.  

Holy Family in Stained Glass Rome City Indiana

So, there is the Holy Family on Earth consisting of the Son of God, Our Lady, Mother of God and St. Joseph the Protector of the Redeemer.   And in Heaven there is the Divine Family revealed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit each of which individually and collectively have a familiar, yet different relationship with Our Lady.  While she is not divine, she has been adopted into the Divine Family. 

Now comes into focus that Our Lady has a familiar relationship with each Person of the Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  And as her children we have a familiar relationship with her.  Our Lady is the non-divine connection between the Divine Family, the Holy Family and us her adopted children!  

Our familiar relationship with Our Lady, extends to us her familiar relationship with the Holy Trinity.  Albeit to a lesser degree than the Blessed Virgin Mary’s, but through her we too have a familiar relationship with the Holy Trinity.  What a mystery!  What an immense gift of Grace!

How does it feel to know you are a member of the Holy Family and have a familiar relationship with the Holy Trinity?   Awesome, Graced, Daunting, Unbelievable?

In this devotion Our Lady is calling us to imitate the Holy Family.  Not only so that we can be made worthy of the promises of Christ, but also that we may lead others to salvation, just as the Holy Family does.  To this Our Lady is calling us, to imitate the Holy Family in all things, including the calling of souls to Christ. 

There is a corollary to human adoption.  When a child, particularly one of the age of reason is adopted into a family there is a period of adjustment and assimilation where the new member is taught, formed and instructed to live to the standards of their new family.  It is no different for our adoption into the Holy Family.  The question for each of us is whether we eagerly embrace the love and standards of our new family, or in rebellion refuse the loving gifts being offered.   The choice is ours.

The devotion to Our Lady of America calls us to assimilate into the Holy Family by imitation, prayer, sacraments, and desire.  Our Lady call us to join and participate in the immense graces that she enjoys.

Pray for the Grace to be worthy of your adoption into the Holy Family and connection to the Holy Trinity.  Our Lady will teach and form you if you are willing.

On your next pilgrimage, be sure to visit Holy Family Hill. It is indeed a special place and integral to the mission of the Our Lady, Patroness of America Center.

Concerning this website and associated social media: Any reference to apparitions or other supernatural claims of Sr. Mary Ephrem, or any blog posting and comments referring to the same must be understood as alleged. Furthermore, any reference to Our Lady of America should be understood to mean Our Lady, The Immaculate Virgin, Patroness of America.

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Novena of Masses – March For Life

January 2, 2022
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January 25 LIVE STREAM

In conjunction with the 2022 March for Life there will be a
Novena of Masses offered January 18-26 @ 11:00 AM EST at the Our Lady,
Patroness of America Center in Rome City Indiana. 

We will be praying for the conversion of all abortion
supporters and the healing of all who have been injured by the plague of
abortion.

The Our Lady, Patroness of America Center seeks the intercession
of Our Lady, the Immaculate Virgin, as our nation’s Patroness and Protector.   Under
the guidance of Bishop Kevin Rhoades, the center is a place of pilgrimage for seeking
her intercession as Patroness of our nation.

We encourage those going to DC for the March to stop in Rome
City, Indiana and pray for her intercession.  
And then take Our Lady of America in your heart to the March.   We will be open for the Mass each day and
will be sure to welcome you and your group at other times as well.  Or you can stop on your way home also. Rome
City is only 25 minutes from Interstate 80-90 and 69. 

If you will be arriving at the Center any time other than
Mass, please call ahead (260-303-4990)so we can meet and welcome you into the
Chapel.  

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