Our society has gravitated towards urban and suburban living spaces which are filled with concrete. If we garden, it is done with specific dirt since Indiana clay isn't really conducive to plant growth. We are far removed from the farms, fields, and woods of long ago. We have lost contact with dirt, specifically rocks.
If we venture outside we are usually running on sidewalks, bicycling on paved roads, or walking while talking on our phones. While there are some who move the earth for a living or enjoy wilderness hiking and rock climbing, the majority of us only put rocks in landscaping around our homes.
Rocks used to mean so much more. We used them to defend and mark our land, wash our clothes with stream water, pound our grains into flour, and in the 1930's, they were used to employ men all across our great land in building landmarks.
At Our Lady, Mother of Mercy Center we have several walls built by these men in the '30's. Rocks, were, and are, an integral part of our landscape. While we preserve what currently exists, we are going about restoring what was lost. We will never be able to fully restore every grotto that the Precious Blood Sisters had on the campus, however, we are beginning to put some rocks back where they once were.
A generous family has donated a Saint Bernadette and Our Lady of Lourdes statue to the Center. We have access to several postcards that have helped us locate the exact spot of the previous Lourdes grotto and we are now ready to rebuild that grotto!
We have had some generous farmers donate field rocks, but we will need so much more to build a new grotto. Would you be willing to help us put the grotto back at the base of Holy Family Hill? We are raising $3,000 to purchase more rocks, mortar, and framing for the grotto. Anyone who donates $500 or more will have their name put on a plaque on its base. No amount is too small as we work towards restoring our sacred places!
Join us on #GrottoGivingDay as we restore rocks to their proper place and make history as Our Lady of Lourdes returns to Our Lady, Mother of Mercy Center!
Thank you so much for your generosity and be sure to visit us often in 2018 and watch the grotto being built!