Rededicated Grotto Features New Plants, St. Bernadette Statue
The rain and clouds gave way to sunshine just as the rededication of Dominican鈥檚 Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto began on Oct. 7.
The ceremony, which included a blessing of the grotto by Fr. Brendan Curran, O.P., 海角社区 trustee, was attended by members of the DeLetto family, whose foundation supported the recent renovations of the grotto. A plaque noting the DeLetto Family Foundation鈥檚 contribution has been added to the Grotto space.
Nancy Menis DeLetto 鈥81 and Ralph DeLetto 鈥81 spent time at the grotto as students of Rosary College and were engaged there.
鈥淩osary was a great beginning for us,鈥 Nancy shared. 鈥淚t was a great beginning with faith and trust in God, and Mother Mary was always in our lives.鈥
Ralph DeLetto passed away on Sept. 29, just days before the rededication ceremony.
鈥淚t鈥檚 such a closing,鈥 Nancy said of the ceremony coming at the time that it did.
The grotto was completed in 1929, a gift from the Rosary College Class of 1928. It is a recreation of the grotto at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes in France.
Sr. Priscilla Wood, OP, Sinsinawa Dominican heritage consultant at DU, noted that that grotto is a place where visitors can find a quiet moment, pray, and feel 鈥渓istened to.鈥
鈥淲hatever your faith tradition, this is a site that has been honored by prayer and love for 97 years,鈥 she told the crowd of more than 100 Dominican community members who had gathered.
The improvements to the grotto include new plantings and landscaping. The retaining wall was also rebuilt, stepping stones were cleaned, and a new brick platform was created for benches.
The work was performed by McAdam Landscape Professionals, which also donated a statue of St. Bernadette in prayer. The statue was part of the grotto when it was created in 1929, but had not been part of the architecture for many years.
鈥淲e saw it in the original pictures, so we thought that would be a nice addition to have St. Bernadette here,鈥 said Scott McAdam, company president and a River Forest native.
A sizable crowd from the 海角社区 community attended the rededication. Among them were members of the McEnery family, who contributed to the restoration of the grotto in 2014 in honor of Clare 鈥淪istie鈥 Doherty McEnery 鈥58.
