Why pilgrims come
Discover what makes Mother Cabrini Shrine a place of pilgrimage
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini acquired this Mount Vernon property in 1909–1910 as a summer refuge for girls from Denver's Queen of Heaven Orphanage. In 1912, on land thought to have no reliable water, she directed the sisters to lift a rock and dig where the shrine's spring still flows. The campus grew around that memory: a Lourdes-style grotto, the 1912–1914 Stone House, the Heart of Stones arranged by Cabrini and the sisters, a 373-step devotional stairway, and the summit statue of the Sacred Heart. It is both a Colorado pilgrimage landmark and a vivid chapter in the life of America's first citizen-saint.
Mother Cabrini Shrine is not a Marian-apparition site. Its sacred-water tradition comes from St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, who in 1912 told the sisters to lift a rock and dig for water on the dry property. The spring has continued to flow, and the shrine developed into a place of prayer, healing petitions, retreat and devotion to the Sacred Heart.
The sacred connection
People and objects remembered here
These relationships are part of the destination record, with feast days and catalog qualifications shown where available.
What to notice
Look closely at the place and its story
Mother Cabrini's spring
Drink or collect water from the spring uncovered in 1912 at Mother Cabrini's direction; the shrine describes it as continuously flowing.
Grotto Chapel
Pray at the sandstone Lourdes-style grotto built above the spring.
Stairway of Prayer
Climb 373 steps through the Stations of the Cross and Rosary mysteries toward the summit.
Sacred Heart and Heart of Stones
Reach the monumental Sacred Heart statue and the stone heart first arranged by Mother Cabrini and the sisters.
Historic Stone House
Visit the 1912-1914 retreat house built for girls from the Queen of Heaven Orphanage.
Feasts, anniversaries & celebrations
The shrine offers retreat spaces and overnight accommodations; contact the shrine for current availability and group requirements.
Accommodation details ↗How to read this page
Sources, tradition, and what is verified
The destination record was last checked on 9/15/2026.
This page records the site’s tradition as “Catholic.” That wording describes the nature of the claim and keeps devotional tradition distinct from independently verified history.