Virgin Mary's Guard Traditional Geocache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This is the location of one of the first Geocaches I found. Unfortunately, the old location was bulldozed to make way for a new driveway. So as a thank you to the previous cache, here is my version.
Some background on the Statue
In August of 1980, Msgr. John Sweeny, then pastor of Our Lady of Peace Church in Santa Clara, California, fulfilled a long-time desire to give special honor to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. That month, he commissioned Charles C. Parks, a noted sculptor, of Wilmington, Delaware, to design a 32-foot stainless steel statue of Our Lady, under this title. Thus began a remarkable odyssey, of a truly extraordinary image of the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of God. After several models, the masterpiece was begun.
The statue, which some have called "the awesome Madonna," was finished in the Summer of 1982. It stands higher than most three-story buildings. The 7200-pound statue rises to a height of thirty-two feet and rests on a twelve-foot landscaped mound. The head, hands, and feet are cast in stainless steel. The gown is constructed of welded strips of stainless steel.
It was erected outdoors, on the lawn of the artist's studio. It created so much interest, and attracted so many visitors -- day and night -- that the Mayor of Wilmington invited the sculptor to put it on public display in the heart of the city. There it remained from September 1 to October 10, 1982. Many busloads of pilgrims came from distant cities, to see the statue, and to pray.
During that period, the local paper printed a special supplement titled "The Madonna In Rodney Square", telling the story of the statue and of the vision of Fatima. The first 10,000 copies sold out in one day. In November 1982, Delaware Today magazine published a special article with full color pictures under the title "The Madonna Phenomenon."
2/9/2011 --- visited the cache at lunch today and was surprised to see that it is full of geo-coins! Even one from Munich, which I had just visited before Christmas. I am glad everyone seems to be enjoying the Church and grounds... and caching!
I have updated the size and difficulty based on feedback.
11/12/13 I have updated the hide and difficulty based on plant growth.
10/9/14 This used to be a park and grab... No more. You will have to spend some time looking.
5/15/2015 Just found this nice video explaining the Statue and Parish
Our Lady of Peace
11/3/2015 A fellow geocacher, Wa11acew, pointed out that there are three statues in total, and at least one also has a geocache! GC4MAEK Our Lady Queen of Peace New Castle unfortunately as of 2022 this chache has been archived
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Vg vf "vafvqr" gur ynfg jbeq bs gur gvgyr bs gur pnpur. Sbyybj "vg" sebz gur rkcbfrq unys gb gur uvqqra raq. Gurer lbh funyy svaq lbhe erjneq. Pbzcyrgr guvf abha: Thn _ _- _ _vy.
[Really... it is supposed to be easy!]