Salt Lake City, UT: Academy of Saint Mary-of-the-Wasatch

St. Mary’s Academy, a Catholic boarding school for girls, was established in 1875 in Salt Lake City by the Sisters of the Holy Cross. By 1921, the Academy had grown so large it needed a new facility, and the Sisters bought 400 acres at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains, (13th South & 30th East; the school was off Wasatch Drive near E. Michigan Avenue), and opened the new school there in 1923, according to a 2012 history of the school in Utah Historical Quarterly.

A May 1927 newspaper article announced the laying of the cornerstone for the new grotto at St. Mary’s.

Cornerstone of Grotto to Be Laid Tuesday: Services will be held at 7 o’clock Tuesday night on the grounds of the college of St Mary of the Wasatch in celebration of laying the cornerstone of the Grotto now under construction. The Right Rev John J. Mitty, bishop of the Salt Lake diocese of the Catholic church will open the program and lay the cornerstone. Others who will take part in the ceremonies include members of the St. Mary’s Grotto club, students at the academy and the Sisters of the Holy Cross, it was announced Monday. The Grotto is being built under the same plans as the Grotto of Our Lady of the Lourdes in France. An invitation has las been extended to the public to attend. A May fete will be held at the same time by the girls at the college. Awarding of the “crown of the blessed virgin” will be the main feature.

Salt Lake Telegram, May 30, 1927

An article afterward described the cornerstone ceremony:

Cornerstone Laid and Grotto Consecrated: Ceremonies of consecration and of placing the corner stone of the grotto, of Our Lady of Lourdes at Mary-of-the-Wasatch, were carried out Tuesday evening. Bishop John J. Mitty officiated, assisted by Monsignor D. G. Hunt, Monsignor M. F. Sheehan, Rev, A. A. Eureka, Pinckney, Rev. Thomas John D. F. Lagan Butler of Vernal and Rev. P. J. Maguire of Murray.

A procession marched from the main entrance to the site of the Grotto led by the “Children of Mary,” the “Young Ladies of Sodality,” the founders of the Grotto club, the court of honor, the May queen, the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Sisters of Charity, members of St. Mary’s choir, altar boys, members of the clergy, and Bishop Mitty. Miss Nichols as the May queen, crowned a temporary statue of the Virgin and Bishop Mitty delivered a short address on the history of the shrine at Lourdes, France, which will be as nearly as possible duplicated in the proposed Grotto.

In conclusion Bishop Mitty sang the solemn benediction. Founders of the Grotto club who sponsored the ceremony are Mrs. Anna Gibbons, Mrs. S. A. Cotterel, Mrs. Thomas L. Powers, Mrs. Maurice Kane, Mrs. John W. Thompson, Miss Marie Thompson, Mrs. C. J. Collins, Mrs. Thomas A. Janney, Miss Florence Collins, Miss Catherine Collins, Mrs. Thomas Gavin, Miss Mary Gavin. Miss Geneveve Gavin, Miss. Cecilia Gavin, Mre. Frank J. Westcott, Mrs. W. I. Frank. Mrs. T.A. Flood, Mra. J. K. O’Leary and Mrs. S. A. Nelligan.

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jun 1, 1927

Nearly a year later, the grotto had been completed and a dedication ceremony was planned for it:

Grotto Dedication Ceremonies Will Be Held May 30: Dedication of the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, situated on the grounds of the College of St. Mary will take place conducted May 30. The ceremony will be conducted by the Rt. Rev. John J. Mitty, bishop of Salt Lake. Bishop Mitty will be assisted by the clergy of the Cathedral of the Madeleine, the Sisters of the Holy Cross of St. Mary-of-the Wasatch, the founders and members of the Grotto club.

The Grotto club was organized in February, 1923, by Mrs. Anna Gibbons. The site of the Grotto was selected by the late Bishop Joseph S. Glass in summer of 1925, but it was not until the completion of the College of St. Mary-of-the-Wasatch that the construction of the Grotto was started. The grotto was designed and constructed under the direction of A. J. Bruneau. It is situated near a natural spring and is made of calcide rock brought from Midway, Wasatch county.

On May 30, 1927, the cornerstone was placed by Bishop Mitty and since then many relics from shrines located in Europe have been added to the shrine. Among the contributions is a crucifix and blessed water from Lourdes, France, by Monsignor D. G. Hunt; a small altar stone from the chapel of Knock, Ireland, by Mrs. James Franey of Minneapolis, Minn.; a relic of St. Quam the blessed well at West Claire, Ireland, by Martin Fennell; a relic from the shrine at El Cobre, Cuba, in memory of the late Patrick Hurley, and a relic from the mission, at Tucson, Ariz., by Sr. M. Aquinas.

The membership list of the Grotto club includes several hundred names representing almost every section of the United States and many of the European countries. The founders include Mrs. Anna Gibbons, Mrs. Frank J. Westcott, Mrs. John W. Thompson, Mrs. Thomas Gavin, Mrs. C. J. Collins, Mrs. T. A. Janney, Mrs. Thomas L. Powers, Mrs. Maurice Kane, Mrs. J. K. O’Leary, Mrs. S. A. Cotterell, Mrs. T. A. Flood, Mrs. S. A. Nelligan and Mrs. W. Frank, Miss Mary Gavin, Miss Genevieve Gavin, Miss Cecelia Gavin, Miss Marie Thompson, Miss Florence Collins, Miss Katherine Collins and Miss Cecelia Gibbons.

The Salt Lake Tribune, May 22, 1928

However, the dedication was postponed until June 6, 1928 due to the Bishop’s schedule:

…the late Bishop J.S. Glass selected the charming site for it. Work then was begun by A. J. Bruneau, contractor for the college, who designed the grotto plans. Situated near a natural spring, the grotto, natural in all aspects, was constructed of calcite rock brought from Midway, Wasatch county. Construction began on May 30 1927 when Bishop Mitty laid the cornerstone for the shrine.

Rising to a height of forty feet and extending about 100 feet in width, the grotto is about one block distant from the main entrance of the college. During the months since the rocks were first placed, bits of fern and moss have grown between them and the water from the spring constantly trickles down the face of them. The grounds surrounding it generally are a mass of green while the grounds around the grotto itself have been landscaped with a graveled path leading to the college.

Two beautiful pieces of statuary grace the grotto. One, located just at the mouth, is the kneeling figure of the little French girl Bernadette, to whom the Blessed Virgin appeared nine times, which resulted in the founding of the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Lourdes, France, in 1858. This figure in life size shows Bernadette perpetually raising her eyes to the heavens in supplication. The second figure is a statue of the Blessed Virgin standing on the rough rocks near the top of the shrine. Within the grotto is a tiny altar of gleaming white on which stands a crucifix and blessed water brought from Lourdes, France by Monsignor D.G. Hunt. Sacred relics brought from the far corners of the earth have been placed in various niches within the grotto….

While the grotto will be used generally as a sanctuary and will be open at all times to the public for prayer and meditation, it has been so built that Catholic services including the singing of mass may be held in it. The Grotto club, since its inception has grown grown until the members now number several hundred and are located in almost every section of the United States and in many European countries. The founders of the club in 1923 were were Mrs. Anna Gibbons, Mrs. Frank J. Wescott…..

Salt Lake Telegram, Jun 3, 1928

An article the following day described the dedication ceremony for the newly built grotto:

Amid impressive religious ceremonies marked by simple beauty the new little Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes on the campus of St. Mary of the Wasatch was formally dedicated Wednesday evening by Bishop J.J. Mitty and attending clergy. The ceremonies took place at the twilight hour of 7 o’clock in the presence of hundreds of students, Sisters of the Holy Cross, members of the Grotto club and friends school….

The ceremonies started with a dignified procession leading from the chapel of the school down the block of winding path to the grotto. Clad in virginal white and wearing filmy veils the girls of St. Mary of the Wasatch led the procession, In their arms they carried roses which were laid at the base of the rocky grotto. Following them came the members of the Grotto club, the laity and the Sisters of the Holy Cross. Bringing up the rear were the attending priests and Bishop Mitty all clad in gleaming white vestments. As the procession wended its way, the Ave Maria, which is always sung at all processionals at the original Lourdes grotto, was sung.

When the scene of the was was reached, the statue of the Blessed Virgin, standing high on a rocky ledge, was crowned with a wreath of white roses by Miss Marie Thompson. This act was in reality incidental to the dedication, as the crowning ceremony is an annual May affair carried out by young Catholic girls. The prayer of blessing was then said by Bishop Mitty as he sprinkled holy water on the grotto and on the two statues of Blessed Virgin and the little French girl, Bernadette. Then the litany of the Blessed Virgin was said by Bishop Mitty with the congregation making the responses. This was followed by a brief sermon on the life of Bernadette and the history of the original Lourdes grotto by the bishop….

Salt Lake Telegram, Jun 7, 1928

The following day, the grotto was visited by many:

Pilgrim Crowds Visit Grotto of Lady of Lourdes: Nearly 1000 persons visited the little Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes Mary-of-the-Wasatch academy Thursday, following dedication of the shrine Wednesday evening by Bishop J. J. Mitty….

The Salt Lake Tribune, Jun 8, 1928

The grotto was the scene of large processions every May after its dedication, continuing a tradition of May Processions to a shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary that had been held at the earlier location of St. Mary’s Academy annually since 1898, according to the Utah Historical Quarterly article linked above. These were featured in local newspaper photo articles revealing hundreds, if not a thousand, attendees participating. Some of those articles are shown here (click to enlarge):

This was the last article I could find about the May processions or the grotto, about an alumnus of the school–a member of the Class of 1927, who undoubtedly participated in the cornerstone laying ceremony–visiting and giving a talk about the “grotto traditions” of the school:

In 1970, St. Mary of the Wasatch announced that the school would be closing, and that the boy’s catholic school, Judge Memorial, would become co-educational. The buildings were sold, and a golf course now occupies the spot where the school and grotto stood for nearly half a century.