Western Massachusetts can often be overlooked as a vacation destination, in part because of the dominance of Boston and Cape Cod when travelers consider a trip to the Bay State. Those who overlook it, miss out. It is a region of stunning natural beauty, invigorating outdoor activity, fun family attractions, and one of the most beautiful and historically significant shrines anywhere in the United States: the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy. The region is easily accessible, less than an hour away by car from the airports in Hartford or Albany.
National Shrine of the Divine Mercy
In the heart of the Berkshire Hills, just outside the town of Stockbridge, is the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy. It is located on 375 acres, at an elevation of two hundred feet atop Eden Hill. After the shrine in Czestochowa (Poland), it is arguably the most important shrine to Divine Mercy in the world.
The risen Lord’s first great act after the Resurrection was giving the apostles in the Upper Room the authority to forgive sins. It is this pivotal act of Divine Mercy that is recalled at the shrine built atop Eden Hill.
Eden Hill is also the American home of the Congregation of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, the authentic promoters of the devotion to the Divine Mercy. The congregation, which was founded in Poland in the seventeenth century, is charged with promoting the revelations of Our Lord concerning His Divine Mercy across the world. These revelations were received by the Polish mystic nun, Saint Faustina Kowalska, in 1938 and recorded in her 600 page diary. As St. John Paul II told us, there is nothing particularly new about these revelations; it is simply Jesus reminding us that mercy is love’s second name.
Eden Hill is historically important to the spread of the Divine Mercy devotion. Just a few years after the death of St. Faustina in 1938, the revelations of Divine Mercy were smuggled out of Nazi-occupied Poland to America, by Fr. Joseph Jarzebowski. He received a written copy of the revelations from Blessed Michael Sopocko, who was the confessor to St. Faustina. Fr. Joseph made it to Washington, D.C. in 1941, where he shared the revelations with the small community of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. The Marian Fathers soon moved to Eden Hill in 1943, using the new novitiate house there as their base of operations for operating the printing presses that would spread the message of Divine Mercy across the world. With Europe under occupation and in the throes of war, this was the most efficacious means by which the message of Divine Mercy could be spread to souls desperately in need of hearing it.
The idea to build a shrine to the Divine Mercy on Eden Hill came several years later in 1950, at the suggestion of the faithful who received the message of Divine Mercy and would write to the Marian Fathers telling the stories of miraculous healings tied to the devotion. In this way, the shrine became a monument to the many miracles that flowed from the propagation of the message of divine mercy. Decades before the Feast of Divine Mercy was declared a universal feast of the Roman Church, and long before St. Faustina was even canonized, there was a budding devotion to Divine Mercy in the heart of New England.
There is no shortage of activities for pilgrims to fill their day on Eden Hill.
A typical schedule for families making the pilgrimage to the shrine includes daily confession from 1-2pm, holy hour in front of the exposed Blessed Sacrament (1:00pm), Rosary (1:30pm), Holy Mass (2:00pm) and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at 3pm (on the weekdays, this is usually in the Shrine Church, but on the weekends, it is at the outdoor altar to accommodate the larger crowds).
The Shrine Church honors both the Divine Mercy and Mary Immaculate. Above the main altar is the famous painting of Divine Mercy, based on the vision that St. Faustina received of the merciful Christ. Above the painting is a marble statue of Mary Immaculate, set against a mural depicting her coronation. The stained glass windows depict biblical scenes of God’s mercy. You will also want to set aside time to pray before the first class relics of St. Faustina, St. John Paul II, and St. Stanislaus Papcynski, the founder of the Marian Fathers.
The sprawling grounds provide many opportunities for quiet prayer and reflection. The most popular sites on Eden Hill include the Shrine Church, the life size stations of the cross, and the replica of the Lourdes Grotto. There is also an outdoor Holy Family Shrine, with its pergola and reflecting pool, and a touching small indoor shrine to the Holy Innocents. Also prominent on the grounds is the Mary Mother of Mercy Shrine, which is the outdoor altar used for the nationally televised mass on Divine Mercy Sunday that can attract up up to 20,000 pilgrims to the shrine grounds for that day.
Beyond Eden Hill, there are a number of outdoor adventure resorts in the area for downhill skiing in the winter, or hiking and mountain biking in the summer and Fall. There is also the Norman Rockwell Museum to visit in town.
Springfield, MA
After a day at the Shrine, families with children in tow may be a bit restless. The good news is that the nearby town of Springfield, Massachusetts is full of activities and attractions that children young and old will love to explore.
For the young travelers, this is the de facto hometown of Dr. Seuss. The downtown square is full of bronze sculptures of Seussian characters and the Forest Park Zoo apparently served as inspiration for many of the stories of Theodore Seuss Geisel. There is also a full museum dedicated to the Amazing World of Dr. Seuss, one of the five institutions of the Springfield Museums.
For teens, pre-teens, and sports fans of all ages, the two most significant attractions in Springfield are the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, celebrating one of America’s most popular sports, and the nearby Six Flags New England theme park. Finally, if you come to the region in the Fall, you can experience the “Big E,” the grand state fair for all of New England and the largest agricultural event in the eastern US, attracting over 1 million visitors each year.
CATHOLIC CONCIERGE 
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