The Marian Shrine is located in a peaceful wooded setting above the west bank of the Hudson River on a property that was formerly known as the 212 acre Greyridge Farm, the estate of Mabel T. Filor.  The Salesians of Don Bosco purchased the estate for $120,000.00 in 1945. The property is in the Town of Haverstraw and the Town of Stony Point, with its entrance at 174 Filors Lane in Stony Point.

The Salesians continued to run the farm and in 1947 they added a high school, Don Bosco Juniorate, for prospective Salesian priests and brothers. A gymnasium building was added in 1950, today known as the St. Dominic Savio Youth Center.  The first “retreats” began in 1954 when the Salesians offered weekend retreats for 7^th and 8^th grade boys, run by the vocation director.

The Outdoor Altar of white marble was erected during the Marian Year 1954.  Work on a Rosary Way with life-size statues of Italian marble laid on a shamrock-shaped pathway was started that same year in the wooded area below the ridge.  The statues depicting the mysteries of the rosary were mounted on stone pedestals and each had scripture verse about the scene carved onto a white marble plaque beneath each station. The Rosary Way was formally dedicated in 1956.  As crowds of people came to visit the unusual site of an Outdoor Altar and Rosary Way, a picnic area, snack bar and rest rooms were added to accommodate the crowds of people that visited the site.  With the crowds of visitors increasing year by year, the Salesians constructed a pavilion chapel in 1963, offering a daily Mass and confessions for “pilgrims” that would visit the holy site.  Gardens dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes and the Garden of Gethsemane were added.

In 1964, the school changed its name to Don Bosco Technical Institute operating as a trade school that included a print shop, machine shop and an auto shop with a major focus on preparing students for the life as Salesian brothers.  However, the dwindling number cause the school to close in February 1968.

The people gathering at the shrine continued to grow so that in 1967 the name of the work was changed to “The Marian Shrine.”  Busloads of pilgrims were now coming to visit the landmark and special Marian events were held throughout the year.   On August 15, 1968, over 10,000 people attended a veneration of the pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima which was flown here from Fatima, accompanied by the Bishop of Fatima.  The archdiocese of New York and the diocese of Brooklyn organized pilgrimages to the shrine by nationalities including Italian, Latino and Polish groups.  The Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel became Italian-American Day at the Shrine in 1972.

In September 1971, work was begun on a retreat center, a structure built of brick and wood containing 54 modern rooms with private baths.  This was built adjacent to the former technical school which was converted into meeting and dining rooms.  The former dormitories in the gym building were converted for use by overnight youth retreats and a gift shop was added.

In homage to their founder, the Salesians added the Becchi House, an authentic brick and tile replica of St. John Bosco’s humble home in Castelnuovo (Becchi) in the Piedmont region of Italy. 

The large bronze statue of Our Lady of the Rosary, popularly known as the Rosary Madonna, was erected on the front lawn of the Shrine in September 1977.  At a height of 48 feet and weighing 6½ tons, it is mounted on a pedestal of Vermont stone with a star-shaped base like the one beneath the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.  Designed by Martin Lumen Winer of New Rochelle, N.Y., it was cast in bronze in Pistoia, Italy, in 1959 and blessed by Pope John XXIII.  It was first erected at Good Counsel College in White Plains, N.Y. and donated to the Marian Shrine when the college closed.  

The statues of the Rosary Way, located in the wooded area below the ridge, were subjected to severe damage from falling limbs and sap from the trees overhead.  The entire collection of statues was relocated to the park in front of the bronze statue of Our Lady of the Rosary and given a thorough cleaning.

One night in January 2001, fire tragically destroyed the building housing the administration office and the gift shop.  A replacement building was erected, the St. Joseph Center, which opened in July 2004. A new path with the Stations of the Cross sculpted by Martin Lumen Winter was added in 2004. 

The Mary Help of Christians pavilion chapel had outlived its usefulness and there was a demand for a winter accommodation of 600-800 pilgrims which the pavilion could not provide. In May 2008, at a cost of $1.6 million, a new chapel was dedicated using the same foundation to create a new enclosed chapel with stained glass windows, heating and air conditioning, rooms for confession, and bathroom facilities for pilgrims.  A set of ceramic Stations of the Cross recovered from an old church in Venice, Italy, were installed.  The statues of Mary Help of Christians and St. John Bosco from the original chapel were returned to their rightful place.

A banquet hall was built near the shrine chapel, dedicated to the memory of Fr. Tae-Seok John Lee, SDB, who was a Salesian missionary and medical doctor that died in 2010 after a long battle with cancer.  Funding was secured by members of the Korean Community of the Reborn Young Christ Center on the grounds of the Shrine.  With a seating capacity of 220, it is used for special celebrations and spiritual retreat programs.    

On Sept. 30, 2010, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, led nearly 10,000 visitors in prayer at the Shrine when the remains of St. John Bosco were brought there from Italy in a glass-sided bronze coffin. 

The Salesians of Don Bosco are celebrating their 75^th year of service to the community of Rockland County during 2022.