Even the adult, if we take time to think back a little bit to our first experiences—experiences of trust, the open arms of a mother—I guess there’s nothing more endearing, and it is next to God.” Drawn to the Shrine by the welcoming statue of Our Lady of the Immaculate Heart, he hoped visitors would then visit the church.

Sweeny solicited prayers (one million rosaries); though he never asked for funds, approximately 3,500 faithful who shared his dream for the shrine began to mail in unsolicited donations, totaling over $340,000.

[3][4] Upon completion in 1982, it was erected at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia's Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul for the winter.

[4] Once the weather cleared, it traveled across the country and displayed in multiple cities for several months before arriving by flatbed truck at Our Lady of Peace in 1983; due to the statue's size, including its 15-foot wingspan, the Diocese proposed transporting it by military plane before deciding on an 80-foot truck that carried it on double lanes and needed a formal escort.

[5][4] On October 7, 1983, the Feast of the Holy Rosary, Bishop Pierre DuMaine of the Diocese of San Jose dedicated the statue and Shrine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In 1996, a Family Learning Center was built to accommodate the increasing attendance and request for faith-based activities, yet space continues to be a constraint to the present day.

Later that year, Bishop McGrath asked Monsignor Sweeny to retire (due to health concerns) and invited the priests of the Institute of the Incarnate Word (IVE) to assume pastoral leadership at Our Lady of Peace.

They continue to staff a flourishing church and shrine today, supported by the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara (SSVM or “Servidoras”), the feminine branch of the IVE.