A Place of Sanctuary
Bringing The Grotto to You
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Daily Spiritual Reflections
Click here
for reflections and prayers, based on the day's Gospel reading, provided by Fr. Don Siple, OSM, Rector of The Grotto.
Video Messages and Prayers
Click here
to view special messages and prayers from Fr. Richard Boyle, OSM, recorded in The Grotto Monastery.
"Bringing The Grotto to You" Series
We will continue to share a piece of The Grotto with you each day until Masses resume and our gardens open. We hope this feature brings you joy.
Please share our emails
with
friends and family. Help spread the word that The Grotto is here, and looking forward to the glorious day when we can reopen our gates.
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Flowers
appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.
Song of Songs 2:12
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The Grotto Rose Garden
This lovely garden has produced award-winning roses for many years. It is maintained by The Grotto's grounds crew and volunteers. Visitors and friars alike enjoy the sweet fragrance of its beautiful roses.
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God at Work
Since ancient times, roses have symbolized God at work in whatever situation they appear. The intricate and elegant rose offers a glimpse of a masterful creator's active presence in creation.
As this fragrant flower blooms, its buds gradually open to reveal blossoms with lovely layers—an illustration of how spiritual wisdom unfolds in people's lives. The strong, sweet scent of a rose recalls the powerful sweetness of love, which is the essence of God. So, it's not surprising that many miracles and encounters with angels throughout history have involved roses.
By Whitney Hopler
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Expansion and Renewal
Since 2003, The Grotto Rose Garden has been expanded and renewed through generous Mother's Day donations from many of our supporters, made in honor of their own mothers.
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We Thank Thee
By Ralph Waldo Emerson
For flowers that bloom about our feet, Father, we thank Thee.
For tender grass so fresh, so sweet, Father, we thank Thee.
For the song of bird and hum of bee, For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
For blue of stream and blue of sky, Father, we thank Thee.
For pleasant shade of branches high, Father, we thank Thee.
For fragrant air and cooling breeze, For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
For this new morning with its light, Father, we thank Thee.
For rest and shelter of the night, Father, we thank Thee
For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.
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A Sacred Scent
In Catholicism, the scent of roses is often called the "odor of sanctity" because it indicates the presence of spiritual holiness. People have reported smelling the fragrance of roses after praying to saints in heaven to intercede for them with God about something.
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Assumption of Our Blessed Mother (1981)
In the center of the rose garden is a statue of the Assumption of Mary.
Catholic tradition believes that immediately upon her death, Mary was "assumed" into heaven, body and soul, because of her virtuous and faith-filled life.
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The Rosary Prayer
Mary is closely associated with roses, and a traditional prayer that people pray to her while reflecting on the earthly life of her son, Jesus Christ, is recited with the rosary.
The rosary, which means "crown of roses," involves offering a group of prayers to Mary as a spiritual bouquet. People hold or wear a string of beads (which itself is called a "rosary") and use the beads as physical tools to focus their minds on prayers and four sets of spiritual mysteries (Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous), each focusing on five different events from the time Jesus Christ spent on Earth.
The prayer tradition of the rosary dates to 1214 when Saint Dominic said that Mary described it to him during an apparition in Toulouse, France. Prior to that time, some other ancient people had been using tangible objects to pray groups of prayers. Orthodox Christians carried ropes with them when they prayed; after saying each prayer, they tied a knot in the ropes. (Simple rosaries can also be made from knotted string.) Hindu monks carried strings of beads around with them to keep track of their prayers.
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Rose Color Meanings
All roses point to God's love at work in the world, but different colors of roses also embody different spiritual concepts.
White roses signify purity and holiness; red roses, passion and sacrifice; yellow roses, wisdom and joy. Pink roses symbolize gratitude and peace; purple or lavender roses represent wonder, awe, and change for the better.
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The Grotto Upper Gardens
The Rose Garden is located in The Grotto Upper Gardens, in front of the Monastery of Our Sorrowful Mother, the private residence of the Servite Friars who minister at The Grotto.
For more information about the Monastery and the Servites,
click here
to view an earlier edition of "Bringing The Grotto to You."
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Send us your photos
Do you have a favorite photo of a flower that you took while visiting The Grotto? We would love to see them.
Please email them to
events@thegrotto.org
, or use the hashtag #TheGrottoPDX. We will be sharing your photos in an upcoming feature.
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The Portland Rose Festival
The Grotto has been associated with the Portland Rose Festival in numerous ways over the years. In 2012, The Grotto hosted the annual "Blessing of the Festival," seen below.
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The color of peace and gratitude
It is fitting that there are so many varieties of pink roses at our sanctuary of peace.
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We remind you all to stop and smell the roses
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The Grotto Gift Shop
The Grotto Gift Shop is open for curbside pick-up or online shipping during our closure. Check out our new
Curbside Shopping
page on our website.
We can arrange curbside pick-up before Easter!
If you do not see an item in our online shop which you would like to purchase, or you would like to arrange a curbside pick-up, contact our director of retail sales by
clicking here
.
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For more information and pricing about any of the above items, and to see more,
click here
. We can also arrange curbside pick-up for other items in our shop.
To order items from our regular online shop with regular shipping,
click here
.
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Light a Candle at The Grotto
Purchase a candle to be lighted at The Grotto.
Your candle will burn for seven days in the outdoor cradles by The Grotto.
Your support will help The Grotto continue its ministry through this difficult time.
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The Series
We hope you are enjoying our daily feature
A Place of Sanctuary: Bringing The Grotto to You.
Day 1:
St. Francis of Assisi
Day 2:
Celebrating St. Patrick's Day
Day 3:
St. Anne's Chapel
Day 4:
St. Joseph's Grove
Day 5:
The Marilyn Moyer Meditation Chapel
Day 6:
Spring in the Garden
Day 7:
Our Lady's Grotto
Day 8:
St. Jude Thaddeus
Day 9:
Statue of Mary, Our Mother
Day 10:
The Pollinator Garden
Day 11:
St. Philip Benizi's Retreat
Day 12:
Pathways of The Grotto
Day 13:
St. Peregrine Shrine
Day 14:
The Servites
Day 15:
Here Light Shines
Day 16:
The Peace Garden
Day 17:
Dambana
Day 18:
Looking Up
Day 19:
Feast of Our Lady at the Foot of the Cross
Today:
The Rose Garden
Tomorrow:
Palm Sunday
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The Grotto
The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother
NE 85th & Sandy Blvd.
Portland, Oregon
503-254-7371
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