Shrine of Saint Thérèse

Chapel on a small tidal island connected by a stone causeway, built from beach stones

The Shrine of Saint Thérèse sits on a tiny tidal island about 23 miles north of downtown Juneau, connected to the shore by a stone causeway. The chapel itself, a simple fieldstone structure, was built by volunteers between 1938 and 1941 using stones from the surrounding beach. The setting is quietly beautiful — the island looks out over the Lynn Canal, with forested mountains rising on both sides and Auke Bay in the foreground.

The grounds include a Rosary Walk around the island's perimeter, a Meditation Garden, and a Way of the Cross. The shrine is an active Catholic pilgrimage site and is open to all visitors year-round during daylight hours. At high tide the causeway can be underwater; check the tide tables before you go. The Island Retreat House on the shore side is available for spiritual retreats by reservation.

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A story
The shrine was built entirely from stones collected from the surrounding beach, a project that took from 1938 to 1941. Saint Thérèse — the French Carmelite nun who died in 1897 — is the patron saint of Alaska, which may seem an unlikely pairing until you consider that the Oblate missionaries who served interior Alaska had a particular devotion to her. She had never left France, let alone visited the Arctic, but they named a mission after her and the dedication spread.

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