Betty Parquette of St. Katherine Drexel Parish in Springfield, prays at the statue of Our Lady of the Highways on West Frontage Road in Raymond. Our Lady of the Highways off I-55 provides hope and road to our savior
By BETTY PARQUETTE
Special to Catholic Times
I remember as if it were yesterday. Looking back, nearly 20 years have gone by as quickly as the signs on the highway. I relaxed in the passenger seat as my husband skillfully maneuvered our SUV through the swift traffic of I-55 toward St. Louis.
I watched the farms and fields fly by as I mindlessly gazed out the window. That's when it happened. That's when I saw her. She stood on a pedestal atop a wall of stone. Majestic, she looked with folded hands, she looked down at me — at us — at every passerby.
As if being drawn by some unworldly voice calling to me, I found my hand raising gingerly to my forehead, then to my left shoulder, and again to my right. I did it. A Baptist girl made the Sign of the Cross!
"What did you just do?" my shocked husband asked. Oh yes, silly me. I thought I had been pretty slick, making this gesture as quietly and subtly as possible. Nothing gets past a State Trooper (my husband) though. What on earth was I thinking? "Well, it can't hurt, right," I thought. True, it certainly doesn't hurt but for someone with my upbringing, it was a fairly scary and poorly executed sleight of hand.
I remember as if it were yesterday. I made that Sign of the Cross, hoping and praying for the longing in my heart to come to fruition. And now, as I've made that prayer thousands of times over as a convert to Catholicism, I can honestly say my cup, the longing in my heart and soul, is full and spilling over.
She called me that day, silently bidding from the highway and not just any highway. She called me from the old route, the one less travelled. Route 66 is fondly known as the Mother Road. It was the route for travelers back in the day, a day when families traveled and explored together. It was a dangerous road with many tragedies. And so it was, youth from the area wanted to bless the families who traveled this narrow road.
The statue of Our Lady of the Highways has been in place near Raymond for over 60 years. More than 63 years ago, a group of youth scrounged and saved for a beautiful statue of Our Lady who would be there for those who desired to pray for safe passage and ask her intercession. Those dedicated young people collected $1,000 for the Carrera marble statue (that is $10,444.00 in today’s dollar).
Our Lady of the Highways was dedicated in 1959 and has been interceding for everyone who has asked for her intercession, and as I can attest, for those who haven't yet asked. The youth had May crownings and rosary walks often together. I like to think that back then when I was just a babe, they were praying for me.
Though I've looked for her each time I've passed that way, I never stopped to take time with her to linger a while and pray. That changed a few years ago. She called to us again as we began a long trip out West.
Though she is weathered from years of storms across the farm fields, she is to me as beautiful as any marble tribute to her in the basilicas of Rome. I see the road she is on running parallel to the faster, wider road and I think of the road less travelled — the road that Jesus tells us we need to be on.
Mary is there. She waits for us on this road. She walked the narrow road of her Son. She longs for us to stop and pray with her. We don't always know the way to go, but she wants to be our guide — and who better than she?
I travel this road weekly now. It has become hard as I traverse to be with a loved one, my sister in hospice care. And, because I don't know the soul of the one I care so much for, I take her to Our Lady.
My sister and I have not always been on the same path, in fact the paths have been quite different. One could say we haven't really known each other for quite some time. So, I stop at Our Lady of the Highway and ask for her prayers. I ask her to be with my sister, to guide her on her via dolorosa, her narrow path.
Over the months, Our Lady has been with us and our relationship has been restored, or better yet, remade. It's a path that is both terrible and joyful, yet I wouldn't want it any other way. As I stop and pray, I see the cars and trucks hurling by. I ask Our Lady to intercede for them, to call them to the road less travelled. Come back. Come back to the narrow road — the Mother Road.
Betty Parquette lives in Springfield and is a parishioner of St. Katherine Drexel Parish in Springfield. She was also featured in the documentary, God is Alive, produced by the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Watch the documentary at dio.org/documentary.
About Our Lady of the Highways
- Located at 22353 W. Frontage Road, Raymond
- Project of the Litchfield Deanery Youth beginning in July of 1958
- Groundbreaking on Feb. 11, 1959, and blessing of the statue on Oct. 25, 1959
- On the property of the Francis Marten Farm
- Two parking spots on either side of the Marten Farm drive are part of the original roadway of the old Route 66
- The Carl and Tim Marten families continue to maintain the statue
- Carl was 6 years old when the shrine was dedicated
- All are welcome to come pray at Our Lady of the Highways
- Restoration work has begun, beginning with cleaning the marble. If you are interested in assisting (cost) with the restoration, contact Carl and Marlene Marten at