Cross in the Woods is a National Catholic Shrine located in Northern Michigan. Hundreds of thousands visit every year to see what is considered the largest crucifix in the world (31 feet high to be exact). During theses pilgrimages, I hope people also pay their respects to the Nun Doll Museum. Yep, another world’s largest…but this time it’s a collection of dolls dressed in traditional religious attire. Well, someone’s gotta do it. And that someone is Sally Rogalski, who began collecting and dressing dolls in 1945. She thought of it as a way to “preserve a bit of the history of the Catholic Church”. In 1964, she donated 230 dolls with the request that admission never be charged to view the dolls. Free? I likey. The collection has since grown to 525 dolls and 20 mannequins that represent the Diocesan clergy and more than 217 religious orders. And just to show that God approves…Sally and her husband received a blessing and citation from Pope John Paul II for “helping to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life through their doll collection”.
Nun Doll Museum, Michigan
