Restoration of the Our Lady of Lourdes grotto on
the Saint Francis de Sales Seminary campus was
completed this fall.
Archdiocese
of Milwaukee Administrator Bishop William P.
Callahan blessed the grotto in an afternoon ceremony
on September 12, 2009. After the dedication,
Bishop Callahan led a crowd of about 150 priests,
seminarians and visitors in praying the rosary.
The $8,000 project was funded by three generous
donors. The renovation consisted of major brickwork,
installing a new gate, and purchasing two new statues.
The grounds surrounding the grotto were landscaped
and a bench for prayer and meditation was added.
The grotto, built in 1894 by a seminarian, had
fallen into disrepair in recent decades. The renovation
took about one year to complete.
“It’s a place for prayer,” Fr. Don Hying,
rector of Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, told the Milwaukee
Catholic Herald. “It’s a beautiful
place in the woods just to pray and find peace,
and just to be in communion with God and the Blessed
Mother.”
