BONITA –– Corpus Christi Parish is now home to a Marian grotto depicting the Blessed Mother’s appearance to St. Bernadette Soubirous in southwestern France in 1858.
The grotto features a cave-like structure in which a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes has been placed; a few feet away, a statue of St. Bernadette kneels before the Mother of God. The illuminated structure includes a flowing waterfall and is surrounded by landscaping and artificial turf. There are benches where visitors can sit in silent prayer.
Father Efrain Bautista, pastor, described the new grotto as a place for people “to meditate, to reflect, to just appreciate the beauty and the gift” of Mary.
“Mary always leads us to Jesus,” he said.
Millions have made pilgrimages to the original apparition site, located in France, where the waters of a spring are credited with miraculous healings.
Construction took about seven months, ending in October, Father Bautista said. The grotto cost about $350,000 and was a gift from the Bianes family.
The statues of Mary and St. Bernadette were made in Italy. The grotto itself was constructed by locally based Creative Turf Install. Auxiliary Bishop Michael Pham blessed the grotto on Oct. 27.
