In 1976 it was decided by the National Officers of the Blue Army to build a Shrine in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and that the building of the Shrine should begin during 1976-77, 50th year of the apparition of the Child Jesus in Pontevedra, in which Our Lord asked Lucia, "What is being done to establish the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of My Mother in the world?" The Shrine was completed in 1978 and is a center of Eucharistic and Marian Devotion. It is particularly dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Fatima Message. The Statue, created by Manuel Carbonell, was placed on top of the Shrine on September 20, 1979, on the anniversary day of the granting of the stigmata to Padre Pio, "spiritual father" of the Blue Army. This statue of Mary was Carbonell's first commissioned bronze monument in the United States and is one of the largest works cast in bronze in America during the twentieth century. The Statue weighs 11,500 pounds, and is 26 feet tall. It rises 145 feet from the chapel level, and about 1000 feet above the miles of the valley below. From the right hand of the statue, made of stainless steel, hangs the Rosary. Strings of the Scapular, also made of stainless steel, hangs from the left hand.
The crown beneath the statue, symbolizes our loving submission to Our Lady as Queen of heaven and earth, and under whose Queenship "lies the world's greatest hope for peace." The sloping shape of the tower and the roof tells us that we are all under the most special sign of love Our Lady has given us, because it tells us that She has all of us under Her mantle, through the maternal protection of the Scapular Devotion and the Sabbatine Privilege.
Under the sloping shape of the tower is an outdoor Chapel where Mass is celebrated during the months of the six visitations (May - October.)
The special charisma of the Shrine is peace, and a unique closeness to Jesus and Mary is experienced by pilgrims who come with faith, love and devotion to honor the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of His Mother. The Blessed Sacrament Chapel, Bishop Ahr Hall and Gift Shop are located under the Shrine and can be accessed by using the ramp from the right side entrance of the Shrine.