A Place of Sanctuary
Bringing The Grotto to You
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Daily Spiritual Reflection
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted…”
Masses and devotions live-streamed over the internet. Drive-up and drive-thru Confessions. Spiritual direction, pastoral counseling and parish staff meetings via video conferencing. Prayer requests received by e-mail and social media. Church ministry has certainly changed in this challenging moment.
Our social media feeds and the internet are full of the creative ways that priests are bringing the glad tidings of the Gospel to the faithful. Priests are finding creative ways to meet the desire of God’s people to feel connected to Christ in the Church when public Masses are cancelled.
As anointed servants of the Lord priests desire to minister to the faithful even while observing social distancing. Like so many separated from friends to stay healthy, priests feel separated from those they spiritually care for. They are missing their congregations. They miss sharing and exchanging faith with their parishioners.
While Mass and Church may not be deemed as essential by some in this present crisis, to people of faith Mass and Church are necessary in our lives. Priests are doing their best to minister to their parishioners. They daily pray for us.
On this Holy Thursday as we celebrate both the institution of the Priesthood and the Eucharist, let us pray for our priests as we pray for first responders and healthcare workers. Our priests bring the remedy of faith to us in easy times and challenging ones as well.
Fr. Don Siple, OSM, Rector of The Grotto
The Anima Christi
Turn to Jesus in The Anima Christi (“Soul of Christ”), a prayer inviting us to ask our Lord for comfort, strength, and guidance. It offers us a chance to meditate on his Passion and pray for his help.
Click here
to read the complete prayer and line-by-line reflection.
Servite Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows in this Present Pandemic
Click here
to view a new version of the Servite Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows which contains simple reflections during this present pandemic.
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Light a Candle at The Grotto
for Easter
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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"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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Day 25: Holy Thursday of The Lord's Supper
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Holy Thursday
Holy Thursday is the commemoration of the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, when he established the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist prior to his arrest and crucifixion. It also commemorates his institution of the priesthood, and the faithful service that is to be carried out by all his followers.
The Last Supper of Jesus
Jesus celebrated the dinner as a traditional Jewish Passover feast. Christ would fulfill his role as the Christian victim of the Passover for all to be saved by his final sacrifice of his life on the Cross. The Last Supper was the final meal Jesus shared with his Disciples in Jerusalem. During the meal, Jesus predicts his betrayal.
The central observance of Holy Thursday is the ritual reenactment of the Last Supper at Mass, “The Mass of The Lord’s Supper.” This event is celebrated at every Mass, as the Liturgy of the Eucharist, but it is specially commemorated on Holy Thursday.
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The Washing of the Feet
Christ washed the feet of his Twelve Apostles as an act of humble service, thereby establishing his sacred Commandment to “love one another as I have loved you.”
cf. John 15:12-17
The Twelve become the foundation of the ordained clergy of the Church. The ritual “Washing of the Feet” (known as “The Mandatum”) of twelve individuals during the Holy Thursday Mass of The Lord’s Supper, annually commemorate the action of Jesus at The Last Supper before his crucifixion.
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The Holy Eucharist
During the Passover meal, Jesus broke bread and gave it to his Disciples, uttering the words, "This is my body, which is given for you." Subsequently, he passed a cup filled with wine. He then said, "This is my blood..." Catholics believe that those who eat of Christ's flesh and blood (as the “Holy Eucharist,” or “Holy Communion” at Mass) shall have eternal life, according to the explicit teaching of Christ in the Gospels.
cf. John 6:53-58
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A Prayer for Holy Thursday
Lord God,
You sent your Son into the world,
And before his hour had come,
He washed his disciples’ feet.
You had given all things into his hands.
He had come from you,
And was going to you,
And what did he do?
He knelt down on the floor,
And washed his friends’ feet.
He was their teacher and their Lord,
Yet he washed their feet.
Lord God,
Help us learn from his example;
Help us to do as he has done for us.
The world will know we are his disciples
If we love one another.
Strengthen our hands
And our wills for love
And for service.
Keep before our eyes
The image of your Son,
Who, being God,
Became a Servant for our sake.
All glory be to him
Who lives and reigns with you
And the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and forever.
Amen.
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Service to others ... reflecting the Gospel
The humble gesture of self-giving service exemplifies the whole of Jesus’ ministry and teachings - and in a small way prepares the hearts of the disciples for the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
Humble service is at the heart of the Servite life. Mary’s faithfulness all the way to the cross challenges each of us to humbly follow where the Lord Jesus leads, and to give fully of ourselves ... give our time, our compassion, our skills and abilities, to serve indiscriminately all those around us.
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Servite Ministries at The Grotto
Mass is celebrated every day at The Grotto. (We encourage you to keep checking our website for updates on when Mass will resume.)
Throughout the year, the Servites provide many other opportunities for spiritual development, such as retreats, classes, book discussion groups and the popular "Tuesday Topics."
In the summer, you may see a Servite Friar leading a tour or talking to a class on a field trip. The Grotto is a wonderful place for learning.
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Video Messages and Prayers
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View messages and prayers with Fr. Richard Boyle, OSM. Recorded at The Grotto.
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The Oblate Sisters of Saint Martha
The Oblate Sisters of Saint Martha, based in Saltillo, Mexico, are an amazing community of religious sisters. They take Saint Martha as their model and inspiration, who with her sister Mary and brother Lazarus were close friends and faithful disciples of Jesus.
The community’s ministry focuses on supporting the work of clergy, so the sisters often serve as sacristans, liturgical ministers, cooks, and housekeepers. By performing these tasks, the priests and bishops whom they assist can focus more of their time and energy on the sacramental needs of the people of God.
The Grotto is truly blessed by the presence and ministries of the Oblate Sisters of Saint Martha.
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The Secular Order of Servants of Mary
The Secular Order of the Servants of Mary (Secular Servite) is a Catholic organization of lay men, women, diocesan priests and deacons living their Christian faith in the context of the world.
The Secular Servite vocation is a special calling within the Church. The vocation finds its root in baptismal consecration and with its acceptance, the Secular Servites commit themselves to bring to fulfillment the evangelical commandment to love.
They strive toward holiness according to the spirituality of the Servants of Mary (Servites), following the directives of their Rule of Life.
For more information about the Secular Servites, please
click here
.
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“Love one another as I have loved you.” cf. John 15:12-17
T
he Servite Friars, along with staff, volunteers, and regular attendees at The Grotto, are honored to partner with other agencies to serve our community.
We thank everyone who has helped us with food donations to St. Vincent de Paul and the Blanchet House, as well as the thousands of visitors to our Christmas Festival of Lights who regularly donate over two tons of food to Snowcap each year.
We enjoy our continuing partnership with Catholic Charities, and working with volunteers in organized clean-ups with SOLV.
We thank those who have participated in our Red Cross Blood Drives. Our next drive is scheduled for April 24 in The Grotto Conference Center.
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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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Perpetual Enrollment in The Grotto’s Guild of Masses and Prayer honors yourself, your family or your loved ones, and provides support for The National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother.
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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
Day 20:
The Rose Garden
Day 21:
Palm Sunday, The Christus Garden
Day 22:
Crosses and Crucifixes
Day 23:
Sacred Heart Statue
Day 24:
Angels of The Grotto
Today:
Holy Thursday of The Lord's Supper
Tomorrow:
Good Friday
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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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