The Shrine of the Immaculate Virgin was erected in 1935. The stone masonry niche was constructed so that it faced St. Elizabeth’s, the girls’ dormitory at Mount Loretto, once the largest orphanage in New York State. Mount Loretto opened in 1883 and was operated by the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin. It housed more than 1,000 orphaned children at its peak. By 1947, the facility encompassed 700 acres and 42 buildings north and south of Hylan Boulevard. Across the front of the shrine is a gated iron fence. Inside the…
