EUCLID, Ohio -- At most religious observances, participants usually sit, and occasionally stand or kneel.
A veteran law enforcement officer has found a way to get people moving and still serve their spiritual needs, with weekly rosary prayer walks at Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine in Euclid.
"It's easy to feel God's presence here, if you listen," participant Kevin Kelly said of the beautifully landscaped shrine, which includes a walking path.
"Seek and you will find."
The prayer walks were initiated by Tom Wetzel, former chief of the Richmond Heights Police Department and now in charge of the University Circle police.
"It's a nice way to mix physical fitness and prayer," said Wetzel, who has been in law enforcement for 37 years.
"It's a great way to start the day thinking about the Lord," said Waite Hill Police Chief Carl Dondorfer. "The Rosary is a very powerful prayer."
Wetzel first led walks at area parks, then decided that the shrine on Chardon Road was the ideal place to hold these activities.
Participants gather at 11:30 a.m. every Sunday and share prayers before setting off on a one-mile hike that pauses at the Stations of the Cross, which feature statuary representing the suffering of Christ on the way to the cross.
The other section is the Rosary Ring, where each stone around the circle represents a bead of the actual rosary.
As Catholics, the participants seek to draw closer to Christ through the Virgin Mary.
"It's like asking a friend to pray for you," Kelly explained.
Participants don't have to be Catholic, or even Christian, to take advantage of the opportunity for prayer and meditation in such a bucolic setting, Wetzel said.
The walks attract 10 to 20 people from all over the area and all walks of life, Wetzel said.
When it comes to prayer, there is strength in numbers, Wetzel believes.
Many walkers are current or retired police officers. The walk on Aug. 3 offered prayers for Lorain police officer Phillip Wagner, who was killed while on duty last month.
With increased stress and violence, officers and other first responders are more in need than ever of a way to relax and ground themselves, Wetzel said.
The life expectancy of a police officer is 12 years less than the average citizen, and active duty cops are three times more likely to commit suicide, according to Wetzel.
Kelly added that officers experience 600 or more traumatic events during their careers, compared to two or three for other citizens.
"Without an anchor, it's way harder," Kelly said.
Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine was dedicated in 1926 and designed as a replica of the place in France where the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette starting in 1958.
There is a fountain where a piece of stone from the original shrine has been placed, with spring water running over the stone.
The property was part of the Harms farm and vineyard, where Julia Harms saw a vision of Mary, according to the shrine's website.
She was told that she would bear a child and then soon pass away, which happened.
Before her death, she asked that the land be given to the Catholic Church. It is now overseen by the Sisters of the Most Holy Trinity.
Kelly first came in contact with the Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine as a police officer responding to what turned out to be a false alarm on the grounds.
Drawn to the peacefulness of the setting, Kelly found himself visiting during his nighttime tours of duty (once accidentally setting off an alarm himself).
He knew Wetzel from their time on the local SWAT Team together, and when he saw a Facebook post about the rosary walks, he was all on board.
When the weather is bad, the group holds prayers in the chapel. But participants get to enjoy the shrine during all four seasons.
During a snowy day, some walkers dropped to the ground and started making snow angels, "just like 5-year-olds," Wetzel enthused.
She is drawn "to just the beauty of it, the peaceful," and the opportunity to meditate on the life of Christ.
"You're making His life part of your life," Beyer said.
Beyer has gone the extra mile in expressing her devotion, traveling to Our Lady of Medjugorje Shrine in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which also is the site of visitations of the Virgin Mary to six "visionaries."
Around 10,000 people attended one service while she was there, Beyer said.
According to its website, the shrine has been visited by 40 million people of all faiths since the visitations began in 1981.
Beyer also puts her faith into action. She is a member of the Legion of Mary, which visits the elderly in nursing homes.
Her church, St. John of the Cross, serves 250 meals every Thursday.
There is a great need not to be selfish, and to think of others, Beyer said.
Wetzel maintains that the world is spiritually adrift and that people are looking to reconnect with God and other people.
"People are hungry for something, and they're looking for some way to go."
He hopes that the rosary prayer walks can fulfill some of that need.
Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine is at 21281 Chardon Road in Euclid. The website, with Mass schedules and other information, is at srstrinity.com.