Restored Rosary Shrine Grotto
We are excited to share with you photos of the newly restored Rosary Shrine Grotto! We are so grateful to all of you who contributed to restoring and preserving this cherished piece of our monastery’s history, and making it once again a place of prayer.
The doors to the grotto have been repainted, while the doorknobs were taken off, cleaned and restored, and returned to their places in shiny like-new condition. The stonework, windows, and roof also received attention.
Inside the grotto, an icon of Our Lady with the Child Jesus sits above a bank of candles, with two vigil lights hanging on either side. A pew, a rocking chair, and a kneeler provide the sisters several options for their prayer time in the grotto. The votive and vigil lights in the grotto can be lit for your intentions.
The Stations of the Cross are placed along the walls of the grotto. On one side, a hand-painted cross made in Italy hangs on the wall, while over the doors to the grotto was placed an image of Our Lady giving the rosary to St. Catherine of Siena and St. Dominic. The original fresco is found in the chapel of the Angelicum.
History of the Grotto
Shortly after the foundation of our monastery in Summit, a group of women surprised the Sisters by coming here on pilgrimage to Our Lady of the Rosary. These women predicted that more would come, and friends started suggesting an official, public pilgrimage. As this was a way of promoting devotion to Our Lady of the Rosary, the sisters were in favor of the idea, and permission was sought and obtained from the bishop. There was at that time no place to receive pilgrims, since the permanent monastery had not yet been built and the Sisters were living in a old mansion, with the foyer converted into a very small public chapel. The Sisters therefore also obtained permission to build, at one end of a nice expanse of lawn, a small, circular, field-stone chapel as the pilgrimage shrine. This chapel, known as the grotto, was completed just in time for the first public pilgrimage to Our Lady of the Rosary, in the United States, held here on May 22, 1921. The grotto was dedicated during the pilgrimage.
The grotto continued to receive pilgrims through the years. The ceremonies for the larger pilgrimages, such as those of May and October, were held on the lawn in front of the grotto, but every Sunday there was an extern sister present in the grotto to welcome whomever might come, receive prayer requests, and encourage those facing trials. There were many reports of miracles obtained at the shrine, and countless favors received.
In 1925 work was begun on a large, European-style chapel and monastery that would be able to properly accommodate both the large crowds of pilgrims and the growing (and crowded) community of nuns. In 1926 a lower or crypt chapel was dedicated, but work was then halted due to accumulated debt. Construction resumed in 1938, though toward a much more modest goal, and in June of 1939 the sisters were finally able to move into their new home. The large public chapel was dedicated in September of that year.
With these developments the main site for pilgrimages had moved away from the grotto, but for a number of years it was still open on Sundays. By 1949, however, it seems that it was no longer regularly open and that the extern sisters were only present to welcome visitors in the new building. The grotto was renovated and reopened in time for the 1964 May pilgrimage, but by 1967 this attempt to again have it open to the public had been abandoned. In 1991, when the enclosure wall was being repaired, the enclosure was expanded to take in the grotto so that the nuns at least could use it as an oratory. The grotto was cleaned, painted, and arranged accordingly, but after a few years the sisters stopped using it since the humidity had once more given it a depressing, run-down appearance. In its dilapidated condition, it was no longer able to be used as a place of prayer.
The Restoration Project
At the consecration of the Rosary Shrine’s new addition in 2018, an historic discovery was made by a few visitors who were walking the beautiful grounds. The group came upon an unusual structure that was clearly in need of major repair. The building was of historic prominence because it was the original Rosary Shrine, where pilgrimages were made and was a place of silent prayer and inspiration. All agreed that such an historic structure and site were worthy of and should be renovated to its original and extraordinary condition. These visitors approached the community and asked if they could form a committee to initiate fundraising for such a project.
Prisco Contracting, the builder of the beautiful addition to the Monastery, offered to restore the Grotto building to give the Nuns a special place for meditation and silent prayer. The restoration would include addressing problems due to lack of maintenance, excavation for electrical apparatus, electricity, HVAC, painting, restoring front door, and miscellaneous items.
Several of our dear friends committed to participating in the restoration process and formed The Grotto Restoration Committee, and worked hard to raise the money needed to complete this project. Construction began last year, and was completed by the end of the year. Finishing touches to the interior were completed at the beginning of this year.
We are deeply grateful to all who contributed to this project. The restored Grotto is now a beautiful place for prayer and contemplation, and a cherished part of our monastery’s history which will now be able to be passed down to generations of future Sisters to come.