The 432 composite glass panels featuring an outline of the Northern Hemisphere has made the dome of the National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima in Lewiston one of the most imposing in Western New York.

But the dome, with a diameter of 89 feet, is leaky. Water seepage has for years left rust stains on the carpeting and damaged pews.

If you plan nothing else about a trip to Fatima, factor in the 13th day of the months from May to October. Doing so will go a long way toward dictating the kind of experience you’ll have. Some four million people tour Fatima each year, drawn by an appearance of the Virgin Mary reported here 88 years ago by

Five-gallon pails are distributed around the 400-person sanctuary to capture the rain during church services, leaving congregants to listen to the drip-drip of rain hitting the buckets.

"The dome leaks terribly, and it's only getting worse," Rev. Peter Calabrese said.

He said he'll miss the original dome, but added that the statue on top of the dome will remain.

The statue of Our Lady of Fatima on top of the dome at the National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima. The statue, which is 13 feet high and weighs 10 tons, is sculpted from Vermont granite.

"As long as we retain the icon of the Blessed Mother on top of the Northern Hemisphere, we will retain a connectivity with the original," Calabrese said.

The towering statue of Vermont granite stands 13 feet tall and is the most prominent of the numerous statuary spread across the Fatima Shrine property that has also made the site a roadside attraction.

Calabrese has hired Buffalo architect Gerald Strickland to design a new dome. He is hoping to start a capital campaign in the near future to raise the $3.7 million needed.

The statue of Our Lady of Fatima on top of the dome looks over other statues in the gardens.

With $1.5 million raised to date, he is seeking an experienced fundraising director to raise the remaining $2.2 million.

The shrine began in 1954 on 16 acres of farmland donated by Walter Ciurzak. It was part of an effort by Catholic Polish and Italian communities in Niagara County to support the Barnabite Fathers, a missionary order in the area, and to honor Mary, who in the New Testament is the mother of Jesus Christ.

YOUNGSTOWN — The grounds at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine are aglow for the season, with more than 75 lighted Christmas displays on 15 acres available for free viewing from 5 to 9 p.m. daily through Jan. 6. A hike to the top of the Basilica of the National Shrine gives an astonishing bird’s-eye — or angel’s — view of

A tradition soon began of people bringing statues to add to the original statues of Our Lady of Fatima with three children and sheep, Calabrese said.

There are now about 150 saints represented in mostly Carrara marble in a grassy area in front of the church augmented by a large fountain.

A bronze statue near the entrance portrays three children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, who Catholics believe Mary spoke to in 1917 in Fatima, Portugal.

A statue of Lúcia Santos and Jacinta and Francisco Marto, the three children whom the Virgin Mary revealed her famous "three secrets" in Fátima, Portugal in 1917, in front of the basilica at the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine.

Construction of the church began in 1961 and was completed in 1965. The dome was finished in 1964, the same year the symbol of the New York World's Fair was the Unisphere, a stainless-steel globe.

The church received the honorary title of "Basilica" in 1975, which Calabrese said signifies that it holds a special relationship to the Vatican. 

Our Lady of Fatima Shrine has become a place of natural beauty, art, communal prayer and renewal to thousands who visit the unique buildings a…

Most of the Fatima Shrine's tens of thousands of annual visitors seeking respite and spiritual renewal – Calabrese estimated it could be 70,000 – that come from outside the region arrive from New York City or Ontario, he said. They also come to see the historic relics on the walls, he said.

International groups, including from Honduras, Guatemala, Brazil and Australia, have tended to come to the Fatima Shrine when they're already in the state for other reasons.

The shrine also sees annual trips of around 3,000 Vietnamese, mostly from the northeast, and 1,500 Filipinos, who arrive on the last Saturday in July.

A statue of Mother Cabrini. Mother Frances Cabrini was born in 1850 in Italy. She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Heart to aid Italian immigrants in the new world. She taught at St. Anthony's school in Buffalo and is the first American citizen to be canonized. A movie about her life was filmed in Buffalo last summer.

Strickland said the New York State building code now requires laminated glass for a dome, and the insulated glazing system planned can't work with the existing system due to safety and liability concerns.

The new dome will have laminated, fritted glass designed to give the recreated North American continents a sharper, etched appearance, he said. 

"This will be much better and nicer, in my opinion," Strickland said. "You'll see the entire structure from the exterior."

The sanctuary at the National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima.

It is also hoped that the new dome may help offset the impact of the addition in 2008 of an ambulatory that encircles the building. The structure has reduced air flow, leaving the building cold in the winter and sweltering in the summer, Calabrese said.

The new plans hope to combat these problems through HVAC modifications and the dome's reflectivity and insularity to help with cooling and heating. 

Mark Sommer covers preservation, development, the waterfront, culture and more. He's also a former arts editor at The News. 

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Mark Sommer covers preservation, development, culture, the waterfront and more. He's also a former arts editor at The News.

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  YOUNGSTOWN – Soon thousands of tiny lights will illuminate the dark rural skies at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, 1023 Swann Road, paying homage to the spiritual aspect of the upcoming Christmas holy days and drawing hundreds of spectators.    The Barnabite Fathers are readying for their annual Festival of Lights, which begins Nov. 18 and runs from 5 to 9

The sanctuary at the National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima.

A statue of Lúcia Santos and Jacinta and Francisco Marto, the three children whom the Virgin Mary revealed her famous "three secrets" in Fátima, Portugal in 1917, in front of the basilica at the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine.

The statue of Our Lady of Fatima on top of the dome at the National Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima. The statue, which is 13 feet high and weighs 10 tons, is sculpted from Vermont granite.

The statue of Our Lady of Fatima on top of the dome looks over other statues in the gardens.

A statue of Mother Cabrini. Mother Frances Cabrini was born in 1850 in Italy. She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Heart to aid Italian immigrants in the new world. She taught at St. Anthony's school in Buffalo and is the first American citizen to be canonized. A movie about her life was filmed in Buffalo last summer.

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