Stainless Mother, Stainless Son

On a windswept bluff overlooking the east side of Sioux City, Iowa, above the hustle, bustle, and cacophony of the city below lies a serene spiritual oasis of peace and tranquility containing some of the most beautiful monuments to the Christian faith anywhere. It may be one of the best-kept secrets in the country; yet it is a secret that should not be kept, for this place was meant to be shared by all persons of faith—to inspire, invigorate and remind us of the foundations of our faith. What has now become collectively known as Trinity Heights/Queen of Peace, was the brainchild of the late Father Harold Cooper of Sioux City. Father Cooper visited a statue of the Blessed Virgin during a trip out west and was inspired to create a memorial to the faith in his hometown, to aid believers in their spiritual journey. What began 1992 with the erection of a thirty-foot statue of the Holy Mother atop a hill on the former site of Trinity College, has now, by the grace of God and the work of dedicated believers, expanded into seventy four acres of verdant serenity--a veritable outdoor cathedral, inspiring no less awe, wonder, and reverence than one would experience entering a place of worship. One has only to walk quietly around the beautiful grounds to know that the Holy Spirit is moving in this place.