Cleveland is a lovely city to explore, on the placid shores of Lake Erie, where the Northeast meets the Mid West. It was once an engine of American manufacturing and today is re-emerging as a hotbed of activity in the biotechnology space, anchored by its world famous Cleveland Clinic.
There is so much that surprises about the city, from its extensive network of green space, called the “Emerald Necklace,” to its cultural treasures. Cleveland’s Playhouse Square is actually the second largest theatre district in the United States after New York City, and Cleveland boasts a number of excellent museums, including the Rock N’Roll Hall of Fame. Sports fans are not disappointed with some great venues for the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pro Football Hall of Fame is a short drive away in Canton, Ohio. Outdoor enthusiasts have a range of options from excursions out on Lake Erie to a short drive out of town to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the only National Park in Ohio. For youngsters and thrill seekers, the famous theme parks and water parks at Sandusky are a short drive away.
Most of the downtown attractions are located along Cleveland’s impressive waterfront, anchored by the pyramid-like structure that houses the Rock N’Roll Hall of Fame. Also along the lakefront is the International Women Air and Space Museum at the airport and the Great Lakes Science Center, with the NASA Glenn Visitors Center named after Ohio’s famous astronaut, John Glenn, with an Apollo capsule, collection of moon rocks and other space treasures. Further inland is the Cleveland Museum of Art with its tremendous mummy collection, and the Children’s Museum of Cleveland housed within an old mansion.
Exploration of this fascinating city can easily be combined with spiritually enriching experiences that will add elements of pilgrimage to your Cleveland vacation. These opportunities range from venerating the relic of the grandmother of Christ, Ste. Anne, to praying in front of the relics of St. Christina, an early Roman martyr now entombed in downtown Cleveland. You can even touch some of the rocks from Lourdes, at a special Marian shrine in suburban Euclid.
Catholic treasures in downtown Cleveland
The downtown is home to two important Catholic destinations: the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist and the Monastery of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration.
The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist is lined with a number of impressive chapels, including the resurrection chapel which houses the skeleton of St. Christine, a fourth century girl martyred in Rome. She was the first female saint to have her relics translated to the U.S. and only the second time in U.S. history that the Vatican donated a complete set of saintly relics to a diocese.
The Monastery of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration offers perpetual Eucharistic Adoration to the public and is also the monastery into which Mother Angelica of EWTN fame first entered. The monastery’s Conversion of St. Paul Shrine church has a beautiful sanctuary lined with artistic treasures and a striking mural painted by one of the mother superiors. The Sisters also maintain an All Saints Oratory, which is a vast collection of relics open to the public.
Cleveland’s Shrine to St. Ann
Travelers may well be surprised to discover in downtown Cleveland a piece of the same sacred relic of Christ’s grandmother – Ste. Anne – that draws tens of thousands of pilgrims annually to the shrine of Ste. Anne de Beaupre in Quebec.
That relic is available to for veneration inside Saint Ann’s Shrine on Wilson Mills Road. The Shrine is located inside the provincial headquarters of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. The precious relic of the grandmother of Christ was cut from the forearm relic that was given by Pope St. Leo XIII to the Shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre in 1892.
It was somewhat coincidental that this relic ended up in Cleveland. It had to do with the popular reception the forearm relic received when it first landed in New York City en route to Quebec. It was displayed at St. Jean Baptiste Church in New York City and many miraculous cures attributed to it for the few short weeks it was displayed in Manhattan. The porter of the relic decided to return a piece of it to the New York parish after it had been transferred to Canada and that parish happened to be administered by the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. When the Congregation relocated its provincial headquarters to Cleveland, it brought a piece of that relic with it, where it has remained since.
The faith journey continues in the greater Cleveland region
There are two significant shrines outside of the city. The first is in Euclid, Our Lady of Lourdes National Shrine. The Shrine has stood on this site since 1926 and is a full replica of the Massabielle grotto in Lourdes. What makes this particular grotto unique is that it contains an actual stone from Massabielle on which Our Lady stood, which is the stone over which the water flows into the pool. The ex voto chapel gives testimony to the many pilgrims who have been healed after traveling to this shrine.
About 70 miles southwest of Cleveland and near Sandusky and the shores of Lake Erie is the town of Bellevue, where the Sorrowful Mother Shrine is located. The 120 acre site has been operated by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood since 1850 and draws thousands of pilgrims annually. It is the oldest place of pilgrimage dedicated to Our Blessed Mother in the Midwest. At its heart is the Sorrowful Mother Chapel, with its paintings of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. The grounds are filled with over 35 grottos dedicated to various saints and events from the life of Christ and Mary.
Wishing you a blessed and faith filled journey to Cleveland. … St John the Evangelist, patron saint of the Diocese of Cleveland, pray for us!
CATHOLIC CONCIERGE 
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