We have six children (five here, one in heaven) — and none of them has come to us without a struggle.

In fact, the birth of our son Peter, now 3, caused my wife, Mary, to develop a thyroid condition that has made it impossible for us to conceive and sustain another pregnancy.

The pain of infertility is not new to us. We experienced it in the early days of our marriage. And now here it is again, a return engagement. For that reason, I was excited to receive a recent assignment that involved traveling to St. Augustine, Fla.

You see, St. Augustine is not only the oldest city in the country but also home to the Mission of Nombre De Dios (Name of God) honoring the Holy Name of Jesus. The mission houses the first shrine devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the United States.

Nuestra Senora De La Leche y Buen Parto (Our Lady of the Milk and Happy Delivery) is also known as Our Lady of La Leche — or the Milk Grotto — because of its statue of the Virgin Mary nursing the Christ child.

The shrine has become a common pilgrimage site for those unable to conceive and for those praying for a safe childbirth. A visit there seemed the perfect way to combine a personal religious pilgrimage with a business trip.

Overlooking Matanzas Bay, the mission offers a patch of peace amidst the buzz of

San Marco Boulevard

in downtown St. Augustine. The locale of the site is apparent from miles around, thanks to a 208-foot stainless steel cross, raised in 1966, which commemorates the first parish Mass on U.S. soil.

I was initially disappointed by my first visit. Arriving 15 minutes after 5 p.m., I found the shrine’s doors locked. The weather, however, was beautiful and I used the time to enjoy the natural beauty of the setting. The mission grounds are accessible over a footbridge that crosses a pond. White oleander blossoms were in full-bloom in early May, fish were jumping in the pond, and the mission’s picturesque walking trails were overrun with curious, chattering squirrels.

Rock grottos punctuate the grounds, welcoming visitors to contemplate the life and death of Christ. Some feature artistic renderings of the Stations of the Cross. Others depict various aspects of Christ’s life.

Elsewhere are statues of St. Francis and St. Joseph, a bell tower, a gazebo, a Byzantine shrine, a mission plaque and a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe. The latter is surrounded by cypress and palm trees.

Also overlooking the bay is a replica of an early rustic altar, like that used by the missionary priests who first ministered to the Timucuan Indians.

As history tells it, King Philip II of Spain sent Admiral Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles to settle Florida. In September of 1565, Menendez landed on Florida’s coast with a flotilla of 700 soldiers and colonists. They established the first permanent Christian settlement of St. Augustine.

Father Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales, the group’s chaplain, offered the first Mass in St. Augustine, beginning the history of Christianity in what would become the United States and the launching of missionaries by Spanish diocesan priests, Jesuits and Franciscans along the Atlantic coast from Miami to the Chesapeake Bay.

The band of Spanish Catholics were well ahead of the English Puritans: More than half a century would pass before they would land at Plymouth Rock.

A statue of Father Lopez, hands and face raised to heaven, commemorates that first Mass.

Nearby historical sites include Castillo de San Marcos, a fortress constructed of coquina stone quarried from Anastasia Island, and a park memorializing Juan Ponce de Leon’s landing in 1515. Of course, there’s also a commercialized “Fountain of Youth.”

Visiting the shrine a second time early the next morning, I found doors and windows wide open. A warm and welcoming glow emanated from inside the chapel.

The chapel of Our Lady of La Leche is actually the third in its line. The original, built around 1615, was ruined in an 18th-century battle. A rebuilt chapel was partially destroyed by a hurricane.

Open Doors

The present chapel was erected in 1915. It contains a replica of the original Our Lady of La Leche statue, a devotion begun in Madrid in 1598.

The original statue was rescued from irreverent hands and enshrined in the home of an expectant couple. When it appeared as if the mother and her unborn child would die, the husband asked for Our Lady of La Leche’s intercession. When the danger passed, the family spread the devotion.

The original statue was destroyed by communists on March 13, 1936, during the Spanish Civil War.

In some ways, the mission is an odd place to pray for the blessing of life. Old gravestones and above-the-ground crypts dot the landscape around the shrine. I was reminded that all earthly life ends. Only eternal life remains.

It was with that thought that I entered the small, simple shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Leche.

I took my place, kneeling in the first row before the altar and Our Lady. I prayed that, working through Mary, Jesus might bless us with one more eternal soul to care for. I called to mind my wife and each child by name, asking Mary to pour out her graces upon them during my absence.

Reflecting on my previous visit, and the locked doors, I prayed that God might open us up to the gift of life once more.

I was struck by the simplicity of the Spanish-style chapel. A simple “M” marks the altar. Above the statue of Our Lady hangs a crucifix. Candles flicker along a wall near the back. Stations of the Cross, in relief, line the walls.

I left the mission feeling that, however God answers my prayer, my time spent here was anything but wasted.

Register Senior Writer Tim Drake is based in St. Joseph, Minnesota.

Planning Your Visit

The mission’s grounds are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The shrine and its gift shop are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you’re not able to get into the shrine proper, the grounds themselves are a beautiful location for a prayerful picnic.

Getting There

The Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche is located just north of downtown St. Augustine on

San Marco Avenue

. The address is

27 Ocean Ave.

For more information, call (800) 342-6529 or visit missionandshrine.org on the Internet.