Lourdes Grottos in Connecticut
I have been able to find 24 Lourdes grotto replicas in Connecticut to date, at least 15 of which still exist. As noted above, the Lourdes grotto at Litchfield is by far the most well-known grotto in the state, and holds regular events.
St. Bridget Convent / St. Rose Church, Meriden (c.1890, not extant)
The earliest Lourdes grotto in Connecticut was probably the one at St. Bridget Convent at St. Rose Church in Meriden. A 1926 obituary for Father Paul F. McAlenney (1848-1926) retold this dramatic story:
About thirty-six years ago Father McAlenney and the late Rev. John Broderick, then a curate at St. Rose’s Church, made a trip to Canada going by boat from Boston. During the trip the boat was caught in a severe storm and a Father McAlenney is reported to have spoken calmly to his fellow passengers, knelt on the deck and prayed for the safe landing of the boat, promising that in such an event he would erect a grotto to “Our Lady of Lourdes.” The passengers arrived safely and upon his return to Meriden, he erected a beautiful grotto on the north side of St. Bridget’s convent which stands today and in which are statues of Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Bernadette.
Hartford Courant, Feb 16, 1926
That Lourdes grotto was probably built around 1890, if the obituary was correct. The grotto itself does not still seem to exist, although a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, likely the original statue, still stands in a raised area of modern concrete terrace blocks behind St. Rose Church.
St. Joseph Cathedral, Hartford (1892, not extant)
When St. Joseph Cathedral in Hartford was finished in 1892, a Hartford Journal article (May 6, 1892) stated: “In the basement is a Grotto of made as nearly like the famous shrine in Lourdes, France as possible.” And a February 1902 article described the observance of the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes in the grotto:
Rev. Walter J. Shanley explained to them the meaning of the miniature grotto which has been placed in the west side of the basement chapel. This grotto is a fac-simile of the original grotto at Lourdes in the Pyrenees. In a niche is a statue of the Virgin, while kneeling on the floor of the grotto is a figure of the little shepherdess who reported having seen the apparition…. It was with the idea of stimulating interest in the miraculous work done at Lourdes that the facsimile of the grotto was placed in the cathedral.
Hartford Courant, Feb 12, 1902
The lower level of the cathedral was closed in 1938, according to an online history, and a 1956 fire destroyed the entire building. No photos could be found of the grotto.
Notre Dame Academy, Putnam (before 1900, not extant)
The History of the Diocese of Hartford (1900) described the Notre Dame Academy, which was established on the grounds of St. Mary’s Church in Putnam in 1874 and run by the Sisters of Mercy until around 1912:
Beautiful grounds, evergreen shrubbery, marble statuary, circular concrete walks, fountains sending up their sparkling jets and surrounded by flower beds, draw the attention of all who have any love for the beautiful. On the right of an extensive avenue is the Grotto of Lourdes, an excellent imitation of the French original.
History of the Diocese of Hartford by James H. O’Donnell (1900)
The Lourdes grotto may have been removed during a 1916 expansion of St. Mary’s parochial school and the construction of a new convent for the Sisters of the Holy Ghost. No photos or postcards of the grotto could be located online.
Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Waterbury (1909, extant)
Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Waterbury was completed in 1909, and an article stated that “Under the altar is a grotto representing the one in the celebrated church at Lourdes, France.”
An October 1907 article detailed the origins of the grotto:
In his recent visit to Europe Father Karam spent some days at Lourdes and visiting the grotto, made an offering of his new church in Waterbury to the honor of the Blessed Virgin, for whom it is named and whose apparition at Lourdes has been commemorated for half a century. In the new church at the main altar will be a fac-simile of the grotto of apparition as it is at Lourdes. Through the instrumentality of then bishop of Tarber and his vicar general, the Canon Delpy, did Father Karam, after a fruitless search elsewhere, obtain five sisters for his new school, so that Lourdes seems inseparably connected with the new parish. The bishop of Lourdes, Monsignor Schoepfer, who has his residence at Lourdes since his expulsion from his cathedral, has promised Father Karam that he will be present at the dedication services next February.
The Waterbury Democrat, Oct 12, 1907
The expulsion of Father Schoepfer from his cathedral refers to the French government’s efforts to expel and stamp out the Catholic Church in France at the turn of the century.
Sacred Heart Church in New Haven
Sacred Heart Church in New Haven had a Lourdes Grotto built in 1917, according to an online history of the church: “In 1917 parish boys erected a grotto to Our Lady of Lourdes, carrying the stones themselves to the convent garden.” No photos of that grotto could be found.
Holy Ghost Novitiate, Ridgefield (1925, partly extant)
The Holy Ghost Fathers established a missionary training facility in Ridgefield in 1922, and built a lovely Lourdes grotto on the grounds in 1925:
In the spring of 1922, the Holy Ghost Fathers purchased the former property of the Cheesmans on East Ridge for the purpose of establishing a novitiate in connection with the Mission Seminary, Ferndale, in East Norwalk…. The novitiate is the place of probation where students preparing for the missionary priesthood spend a year between college and the seminary course…. “The Wayside Shrine,” or Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, was dedicated on May 3, 1925, at the novitiate. The leafy grotto is near the highway, hence its name.
The Ridgefield Press Jubilee Edition, 1950, via Jack Sanders at Facebook
The Novitiate was closed and sold to the town of Ridgefield in 1971, and the property now provides housing for the elderly, athletic fields and community gardens. The grotto still stands but the statues have been removed.
Church of the Immaculate Conception, Norfolk (extant)
The Church of the Immaculate Conception in Norfolk (now part of the Parish of Saint Martin of Tours), was built in the 19th century and remodeled in the 1920s, and has a grotto at the front corner of the church which was called Immaculate Conception shrine. This may not be specifically a Lourdes grotto, because the statue is not quite the same as statues of Our Lady of Lourdes, but it is very close, so I’ve included it here. I could not discover when this grotto was built.
St. Francis Hospital, Hartford (1933)
The Lourdes grotto at St. Francis Hospital, built near the St. Maurice Convent that housed the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery, was the setting for garden parties and capping ceremonies for newly graduated nurses, as well as for prayer and solitude. A May 1947 article described a capping ceremony for 117 nursing graduates:
The capping was followed by a religious coronation ceremony at the campus grotto, a replica of the one at Lourdes. As class president, Jane Patricia Gwudz, took a floral wreath from the hands of Germaine Welch, the crown bearer, a daughter of one of the hospital nurses, and placed it on the statue of the Virgin Mary in the center of the grotto, the assembled graduating class sang “Bring Flowers of the Rarest.” Rev. John Francis Curran delivered a brief sermon on the Virgin and Rev. Arthur Hanley blessed the medals of each graduate.
Hartford Courant, May 27, 1947
The convent was torn down in 1997. An article about the razing of the building stated that the grotto still existed in that year, and would be moved to a parking lot for general use, but Google Street does not show it anywhere on the grounds.
Holy Family Academy, Baltic (before 1932, extant)
Holy Family Academy was established in Baltic in 1874, and the current building was constructed in 1914. A Lourdes grotto was added to the property on a terraced hill behind the school at some point before 1932, when The Catholic Transcript of May 5th mentioned that during an Arbor Day program at the school, “The girls then gathered in front of Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto and sang two hymns in honor of Our Lady.”
Another article in the same paper in 1937 related that during a ladies retreat at the school:
a procession was made to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes which crowns the hillside. Additional beauty surrounded the niche for the occasion and till late In the evening the grotto glittered with lights. The Inspiring procession was headed by white-veiled novices hearing colored lights along the route, while the retreatants sang hymns to the Blessed Virgin.
The Catholic Transcript, September 16, 1937
The Sisters of Charity website accompanied the above photo with this Prayer for Protection:
O Gracious Virgin Mary, we fly to your motherly embrace for protection.
Sisters of Charity website
Help us in our needs
and shield us from danger.
Guide our steps, O holy Mother of God, for you alone are glorious and most blessed among all God’s children.
Intercede for us with our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son and Our Savior. Amen.
Putnam Catholic Academy, Putnam (1930s, not extant)
The Putnam Catholic Academy was established by the Daughters of the Holy Spirit in 1928, according to the website for the school at that location now, the Putnam Science Academy. The grotto was likely built during the 1930s, although no information about it could be found in local newspapers. The school became an international boys boarding school in 2002, and the grotto may have been removed at that time.
St. Justin Church, Hartford (1937, extant)
St. Justin Church was completed in 1933, and a May 1937 article described the dedication of a new Lourdes grotto:
1000 Are Present At St. Justin’s Shrine Exercises– Dedication of Gift of Mrs. Elizabeth T. Keenan is Held: Nearly 1000 persons attended the dedication ceremonies for the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes on the northern of the grounds of St. Justin’s Church Sunday evening. The shrine, which stands in a grotto overhanging rocks, with streams of running water, is the gift of Mrs. Elizabeth T. Keenan, in memory of her son, Vincent E. Keenan, who died in 1936.
A procession, including the Children of Mary, the First Communion class of St. Justin’s Church. the Ladies’ Guild, a altar boys, and members of the Holy Name Society, marched from the church basement to the grotto where the shrine was blessed by Rev. Francis P. Nolan, pastor of St. Justin’s Church. The procession marched back from the grotto into the church. with the Holy Name Society forming a guard of honor on the steps. Rev. John S. Kennedy, assistant pastor of the Church St. Thomas the Apostle in West Hartford, delivered a sermon following the dedication.
Calling on the congregation to work for a better social order. he declared that the poor of the country are being exploited, misused, and maltreated. Father Kennedy declared that those in economic control and not add to what they have at the expense of those who have little. “The establishment and making permanent of social justice is the key to whether America can make her way out of the crisis.’ Father Kennedy asserted. “The salvation of a sick world depends on the salvation of the poor.” Solemn Benediction was held with Father Nolan as celebrant.
Hartford Courant, May 31, 1937
The grotto appears to still exist in a wooded area behind the adjacent school building, although the statue in it is a different BVM statue, no longer a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes.
St. Adalbert Church, Enfield (1939, extant)
The Lourdes grotto in front of St. Adalbert Church in Enfield was constructed in 1939, according to a church history, A Place of Their Own – A History of Saint Adalbert Church Enfield Connecticut 1915-1990. The church was closed completely in 2024.
Marianapolis Preparatory School, Thompson (c.1941, extant)
Marianapolis Preparatory School was founded by Lithuanian-Americans in the early 1930s in Thompson. In 1941, fourteen Stations of the Cross were constructed, followed by the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto.
the station(s) would be built with tufa stone from Erie County, Ohio. Tufa stone is a variety of limestone formed by minerals from petrified swamp growth from unheated lakes, rivers or streams. In the 1940s, Ohio’s only deposit of tufa stone was near Sandusky Bay, the source for the Stations of the Cross at Marianapolis…. The project was expanded to include the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto and a shrine to Our Lady of Shiluva (Siluva), which commemorated the 1608 apparition of Mary to a group of shepherd children outside of Siluva, Lithuania.
The History of Marianapolis by Father Timothy Roth, MIC, Marianapolis Chaplain
St. Joseph Parish, Brookfield Center (1943, extant)
The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes was built before the current St. Joseph Church in Brookfield. A small mission church was built in lower Brookfield, and then, according to the church website:
Brookfield continued to be a mission of New Milford until 1941 when Father Patrick Quinlan became the first pastor of Saint Joseph’s. The · following year, the Diocese of Hartford provided Father Quinlan with funds ($8,500) to purchase a rectory on Long Meadow Hill Road and grounds for a Grotto. In September of 1942, volunteers began to build the Shrine of the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes on Route 25. On May 26, 1943, Bishop McAuliffe came from Hartford to attend the dedication.
About Us: Saint Joseph Parish ~ Since 1941
A newspaper article confirms this year of construction:
the blessing of the grotto to Our Lady of Lourdes, in St. Joseph’s church at Brookfield Center, this state.
Record-Journal (Meriden), May 26, 1943
A convent and school (1950s), and later, the current church (1987) were built half a mile south of the grotto, which is still beautifully maintained and adored by Brookfield parishioners.
St. Margaret’s Shrine, St. Raphael’s Parish (1940s, extant)
According to the history of St. Margaret’s shrine on the shrine website, in 1941, Father Emilio Iasiello, Pastor of St. Raphael Parish in downtown Bridgeport, built St. Margaret chapel for north Bridgeport parishioners, which was dedicated on September 20, 1942 by Bishop McAuliffe of Hartford.
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Father Iasiello purchased adjacent properties to expand the area into a shrine with religious statues where people could offer their prayers for the safe return of soldiers serving their country and for those who had given their lives.
When the rocky land had been blasted and cleared, Father Iasiello realized that it was a perfect spot for a replica of the Grotto of Lourdes. A shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes with statues of Our Lady and St. Bernadette was blessed by Archbishop O’Brien of Hartford.
St. Joseph College / University of St. Joseph, Hartford (1948, extant)
The Lourdes grotto on the University of St. Joseph in Hartford was built in 1948, according to a newspaper article about its blessing:
350 Attend Dedication At St. Joseph Msgr. J. F. Callahan Blesses Grotto Erected In Memory of Student Before 350 persons on the campus of St. Joseph College, a grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes was blessed Sunday by Rt. Rev. Msgr. John F. Callahan, in memory of Mary Agnes Gildea, of Danbury, who died last May while a sophomore.
The grotto was erected by members of her class who were planning to finance such a project when the girl, vice-president of the class, died. The students decided that the grotto would thereby serve a twofold purpose, that “In Mary’s memory they would honor our Lady.” Recently presented a play by which they raised $2000. Sunday’s ceremonies were attended by Miss Gildea’s, parents, Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Gildea, her brother William and her sister Zita. The program began a procession of the choir, with seniors clad and college, gowns, juniors in formal evening attire, 50 and nuns, this was some followed by of the faculty of’ the college, and lastly Monsignor Callahan and his assistants. Following the blessing, Rev. Thomas F. Glynn, chaplain of St. Agnes Home, gave a sermon which he reminded those present of the purpose of the shrine honor of the Mother of God. “You may be sure,” the preacher said, “that She is grateful for this shrine in memory of Mary Gildea, where you will bring your love and feel her power. “It is good for us to be here.
He termed the grotto, “A beautiful act of piety which transforms this cluster of stones into a revered sacramental of the church.” He told the college students that the grotto would serve to remind them, as they passed it with their books on the campus, of the fact that Mary is the ideal of Christian womanhood…. from the chapel of the college to an altar which had been erected near the grotto as the college choir sang the “Salve Mater.” …At the conclusion, the college choir chanted the “Magnificat.”
Hartford Courant, Oct 11, 1948
Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center, West Hartford (1950s, extant)
I could not find any newspaper articles about the construction or dedication of the Lourdes grotto, but the Passionist Retreat Center was opened in 1951, and the grotto was constructed after that year–possibly for the 1954 Marian year or the 1958 centennial of the apparitions at Lourdes.
St. Peter’s School, Hartford (1957, not extant)
A 1957 article stated:
An Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, erected in the rear of St. Peter’s School was blessed Sunday in ceremonies conducted by the Rev. Msgr. William P. Botticelli, pastor of St. Peter’s Church. The ceremony was held in commemoration of the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes which falls on Monday. The grotto was built of local field stone by Rocco Dimico of the Bonvicini Building Co.
Hartford Courant, Feb 11, 1957
I could not find any images of this grotto. St. Peter’s School was built in 1915 and closed in 2001. St. Peter’s Church next door was closed in 2017.
Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Gales Ferry (1964-1967, extant)
The Lourdes grotto at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Gales Ferry was constructed by the men of the parish from 1965 to 1967, according to an article about the grotto’s dedication on October 15, 1967:
More than 300 persons bowed their heads in reverence yesterday as the Rev Bernard Miller pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church dedicated a new shrine as a place of devotion The shrine is a replica of the original grotto at Lourdes, France where the Blessed Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to Bernadette Soubirous on eb 11 1858 and on other occasions. The ceremony ended a three-year period during which men of the parish as volunteers contributed hours of labor to construction of the grotto.
Father Miller noted the similarity of the new shrine to the original, “Even the brook that cascades down the bill to the left of the grotto and in front of the shrine is reminiscent of the River Cave which flows in front of Lourdes” he said. A piece of stone from the boulder on which St. Bernadette first saw the vision was presented to the parish and is embedded in the base of the statue at the shrine, Father Miller said.
To reach the shrine visitors must pass across a foot bridge known locally as Father Miller’s Brooklyn Bridge and take a path to the area. At yesterday’s ceremonies a Living Rosary was recited by members of the Holy Name Society and Our Lady of Lourdes Guild followed by a Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament by Rev Edward Ravish assistant at the church.
The Day (New London), Oct 16, 1967
Our Lady’s grotto was beautifully restored by volunteer parishioners in 2020 and 2021, according to the church Facebook page.
St. Bridget of Kildare Church, Moodus (1988, extant)
The Lourdes grotto at St. Bridget of Kildare Church in Moodus was constructed in 1988, according to an article about Monsignor Henry J. Dziadosz’ 25th year of service at that church. Father Dziadosz oversaw the construction of the grotto, and also the restoration of the historic church and construction of a parish education center.
St. Agnes Church, Greenwich (2003, extant)
St. Agnes Church in Greenwich, now part of The Parish of St. Catherine of Siena and St. Agnes, constructed a Lourdes grotto, which was dedicated on September 11, 2003 by Bishop William Lori. Greenwich lost 20 residents in the September 11, 2001 attacks, and Bishop Lori spoke at a memorial mass for the day of remembrance:
On this anniversary of 9-11 we come as a people who need healing and serenity and peace peace in our lives, peace in our communities and peace in our world,” Lori said as he blessed a replica of the grotto at Lourdes, France.
Record-Journal (Meriden), Sep 12, 2003
Sacred Heart Church Cemetery in Brooklyn/Wauregan
St. Joseph Church, Winstead
Below is a list of the Lourdes grottos, past and present, that I have located in Connecticut (although there certainly must be others: more private ones that have not been mentioned in digitized newspapers or online).
Type of Institution Key:
C=Church S=School M=Convent/Monastery H=Hospital O=Orphanage/Old Home I=Independent Pilgrim Site T=Cemetery R=Retreat P=Private Residence X=Other
| State | City | Institution | Type | Name | Date(s)/Decade | Extant? | Address |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | Baltic | Holy Family Academy | S | Grotto | yes | 54 W Main St, Baltic, CT 06330 | |
| Connecticut | Bridgeport | St. Raphael’s Parish, St. Margaret’s Shrine | C | Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes | 1940s | yes | 2523 Park Ave, Bridgeport, CT 06604 |
| Connecticut | Brookfield Center | St. Joseph Parish | C | Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes | 1942 | yes | 197 Whisconier Rd, Brookfield, CT 06804 |
| Connecticut | Brooklyn | Sacred Heart Church Cemetery | T | yes | 620 Wauregan Rd, Brooklyn, CT 06234 | ||
| Connecticut | Enfield | St. Adalbert Church | C | yes | 90 Alden Ave, Enfield, Connecticut | ||
| Connecticut | Gales Ferry | Our Lady of Lourdes Church | C | Our Lady’s Grotto | 1967 | yes | 1650 CT-12, Gales Ferry, CT 06335 |
| Connecticut | Greenwich | St. Agnes Church | Lourdes Grotto | 2003 | yes | 247 Stanwich Rd., Greenwich, CT 06830 | |
| Connecticut | Hartford | St. Francis Hospital | H | Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes | 1933 | no | 114 Woodland St, Hartford, CT 06105 |
| Connecticut | Hartford | St. Joseph Cathedral (basement) | C | Grotto of Lourdes | 1892 | no | 140 Farmington Ave, Hartford, CT 06105 |
| Connecticut | Hartford | St. Joseph College / University of St. Joseph | S | Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes | 1948 | yes | 1678 Asylum Ave, West Hartford, CT 06117 |
| Connecticut | Hartford | St. Justin’s Church | C | Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes | 1937 | maybe | 230 Blue Hills Ave, Hartford, CT 06112 |
| Connecticut | Hartford | St. Peter’s School | S | Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes | 1957 | no | 170 Main St, Hartford, CT 06106 |
| Connecticut | Litchfield | Montfort Fathers | M | Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes | 1958 | yes | 83 Montfort Rd, Litchfield, CT 06759 |
| Connecticut | Meriden | St. Rose Convent Chapel, now Church | M | Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes | c.1890 | no | 35 Center St, Meriden, CT 06450 |
| Connecticut | Moodus | St. Bridget of Kildare Church | C | Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto | 1988 | yes | 75 Moodus Leesville Rd, Moodus, CT 06469 |
| Connecticut | New Haven | Sacred Heart Parish | C | Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes | 1917 | no | 74 Liberty St. New Haven, CT 06519 |
| Connecticut | Norfolk | Church of the Immaculate Conception | C | Immaculate Conception Shrine (maybe not Lourdes) | aft. 1925 | yes | 4 North St, Norfolk, CT 06058 |
| Connecticut | Putnam | Notre Dame Academy / St Mary’’s Church | S | Grotto of Lourdes | bef.1900 | no | 218 Providence St, Putnam, CT 06260 |
| Connecticut | Putnam | Putnam Catholic Academy | S | The Grotto | c.1930s? | no | 18 Maple St, Putnam, CT 06260 |
| Connecticut | Ridgefield | Holy Ghost Novitiate | M | 1925 | partial | Prospect Ridge Rd, Ridgefield, CT | |
| Connecticut | Thompson | Marianapolis Preparatory School | S | Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto | 1941 | yes | 26 Chase Rd, Thompson, CT 06277 |
| Connecticut | Waterbury | Our Lady of Lourdes Church | C | Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes | 1909 | yes | S Main St, Waterbury, CT 06706 |
| Connecticut | West Hartford | Holy Family Retreat Center | R | Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes | 1950s? | yes | 303 Tunxis Rd, West Hartford, CT 06107 |
| Connecticut | Winstead | St. Joseph Church | C | Lourdes Grotto | yes | 186 Main St, Winsted, CT 06098 |