Our Lady Grotto dedicated at Notre Dame High School
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By Christina Leslie | Staff Writer
The culmination of a two-year labor of love was celebrated May 23 at Notre Dame High School as more than 1,300 students and about 200 faculty, staff and guests gathered in prayerful witness for the dedication of the Our Lady Grotto on the grounds of the Lawrenceville school. The grotto, newly outfitted with an altar, podium and statue of St. Bernadette Soubirous, serves as an outdoor focal point of prayer for all those visiting the Catholic high school’s campus.
As the NDHS student body overfilled the plaza and surrounding grassy area, Notre Dame chaplain Father John C. Garrett presided over a Liturgy of the Word service before the statue of the Blessed Mother set into a rocky cave. Students celebrated the grotto’s completion, begun during the summer of 2012, by crowning Our Lady with flowers, then led the recitation of a decade of the Rosary.
Kevin Callahan, Notre Dame vice president for advancement, noted the grotto’s ongoing importance for the students, faculty and visitors to the school. “It’s a proper tribute to the patroness of our school,” he explained. “It serves as a spiritual place on campus where one can pray openly as an individual, group or school.”
The grotto has been a place of spiritual refuge since its inception; the NDHS football team prays there before each home game and some away games, Callahan said. Now completed, it contains a kneeler, benches and votive candles in addition to the statues of Mary and the young French peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous to whom Mary appeared several times in Lourdes.
The newly installed altar and podium will enable the celebration of Mass, Callahan noted. “Up until now, school-wide liturgies have been held in the theatre,” he said. “It’s a beautiful location, but it’s not a church. We wanted a spiritual, sacred place where we can worship.”
Callahan cited four major benefactors whose contributions were instrumental in the grotto’s completion: Ronald C. Rak '77, Chris Vernon, ’82; Msgr. Walter E. Nolan; host of The Catholic Corner and former NDHS chaplain; and Rosemary Roberto and the NDHS Grandparents Group.
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By Christina Leslie | Staff Writer
The culmination of a two-year labor of love was celebrated May 23 at Notre Dame High School as more than 1,300 students and about 200 faculty, staff and guests gathered in prayerful witness for the dedication of the Our Lady Grotto on the grounds of the Lawrenceville school. The grotto, newly outfitted with an altar, podium and statue of St. Bernadette Soubirous, serves as an outdoor focal point of prayer for all those visiting the Catholic high school’s campus.
As the NDHS student body overfilled the plaza and surrounding grassy area, Notre Dame chaplain Father John C. Garrett presided over a Liturgy of the Word service before the statue of the Blessed Mother set into a rocky cave. Students celebrated the grotto’s completion, begun during the summer of 2012, by crowning Our Lady with flowers, then led the recitation of a decade of the Rosary.
Kevin Callahan, Notre Dame vice president for advancement, noted the grotto’s ongoing importance for the students, faculty and visitors to the school. “It’s a proper tribute to the patroness of our school,” he explained. “It serves as a spiritual place on campus where one can pray openly as an individual, group or school.”
The grotto has been a place of spiritual refuge since its inception; the NDHS football team prays there before each home game and some away games, Callahan said. Now completed, it contains a kneeler, benches and votive candles in addition to the statues of Mary and the young French peasant girl Bernadette Soubirous to whom Mary appeared several times in Lourdes.
The newly installed altar and podium will enable the celebration of Mass, Callahan noted. “Up until now, school-wide liturgies have been held in the theatre,” he said. “It’s a beautiful location, but it’s not a church. We wanted a spiritual, sacred place where we can worship.”
Callahan cited four major benefactors whose contributions were instrumental in the grotto’s completion: Ronald C. Rak '77, Chris Vernon, ’82; Msgr. Walter E. Nolan; host of The Catholic Corner and former NDHS chaplain; and Rosemary Roberto and the NDHS Grandparents Group.
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