A Sacred Mark Near Bass Lake Road

Peeking out of the tall grass off of Bass Lake Road in south Maple Grove, a statue has stood among acres of undeveloped land for the last five years.

The statue of Mary, currently off the southeast corner of Bass Lake Road and Lawndale Lane, rests on a small hill about 200 feet from Lawndale Lane. She marks the future spot for the permanent home of Catholic school .

"When we originally put her out there about 2006 right after we acquired property, she was in a position that faced Bass Lake Road," Stephen Schmitz said, co-founder of Cedarcrest Academy. "And this fall or early in the spring, depending on when construction gets done, we're going to move her again to her permanent home right along Bass Lake Road."

The statue was rescued from a Cenacle Sisters Catholic convent in Wayzata where, Schmitz said, it used to rest on a pedestal outside.

Sr. Ann Wylder of the Cenacle Sisters in New Orleans once worked at the convent in Wayzata said the convent decided to close its Wayzata location after being in operation for about 53 years.

"We left in the late 1990's," Wylder said.

The building then sat vacant for some time before being purchased for use as a chemical dependency clinic. Schmitz said at that time the statue became available for anyone willing to move it, and he stepped forward.

First he took the statue to his home and later took it to the current location where its been since 2006. Cedarcrest Academy initially purchased 70 acres of property off of Bass Lake Road, later selling 20 acres to developers who are in the process of constructing the Cedar Estates subdivision. The remaining 50 acres with the statue stayed as a placemark for a future school.

Cedarcrest Academy is a Catholic school located in Maple Grove since 2000 and currently operates in a rented space owned by two local churches. About 165 students currently attend the school from Maple Grove and the surrounding area.