Hours of Operation: 9 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Upper Gardens admission sold until 5 p.m.
Masks must be properly worn at all times while visiting The Grotto. Please maintain six feet of space for social distancing and follow all instructional signs.
Mass Livestream
For the remainder of the week, while the Chapel is closed for restoration, Mass will be livestreamed daily at 10 a.m. from the Monastery of Our Sorrowful Mother at The Grotto.
You can find the stream on our YouTube channel.
|
|
Mass returns to the Chapel of Mary this Sunday
We are delighted to resume in-person Mass, following the restoration of the Chapel of Mary.
Beginning this Sunday, April 11, Mass will be celebrated in the Chapel of Mary daily and Sunday.
We are still under strict capacity guidelines due to the pandemic, so we are only able to register 80 people per Mass. Social distancing is required, and masks must be properly word the entire length of Mass.
To register for Mass, click the appropriate link below.
Sunday Masses: 8 a.m., 10 a.m. and 12 noon REGISTER
Daily Mass (Monday - Saturday): 12 noon REGISTER
Mass in Spanish: 2nd and 4th Sunday of the Month at 2 p.m. REGISTER
Mass in Tagalog: Third Saturday of the Month at 10 a.m. REGISTER
|
|
You Owe Me
How do we give? What is the manner of our giving? Is it only because we have a lot of surplus? Or is it out obligation? Or is it because a person keeps bothering you? Giving is not measured by these. Giving is not a matter of amount. It’s not a matter of quantity, but quality. Giving is a matter of love. For after all, to give is more joyful than to receive. As St. Paul says, “God loves a cheerful giver.”
(2 Cor 9:7)
In the first reading today, we heard Peter and John going up the temple of Jerusalem to pray. Like our usual experience, as they were on their way, they’ve met a crippled man begging for alms. Let us focus on the man. He was said to be “crippled from birth.” Let’s deal with that for a moment. Imagine his state … being crippled can mean anything. It can be anyone of us. Due to selfishness and total indifference, we could have been crippled for many years. Not able to share, to love, to forgive, to understand, etc, are signs that we are still crippled.
The Resurrection of Christ is the cure. Let Him free us. Like the experience of the two disciples on their way to Emmaus, let the Lord enter into our lives. Let us allow him to speak to us. The problem to us, sometimes, is that we have so much to say to the point that the voice or the Word of God can no longer be heard in our midst. When that happens, we can no longer see clearly as the Lord sees every encounter in our daily lives. Since we couldn’t see as the Lord’s sees, little wonder then that our everyday decisions, reactions as we encounter people are nothing but a matter of work, an obligation and a routine. We can even use as an argument what Cain said to God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen 4:9). And the Lord will say to you in reply, “You said so!” Let us bear in mind that, as Christians, we owe something to others. This is the mission of the Church; this is our mission. For to be a Christian means to be for others. Yes, we cannot solve the problem in the world. Yet, you can and have to address the need of someone near you.
May we, like Peter and John, be able to respond positively to the needs of our brothers and sisters in love. May we be able to give them the necessary things they really need. May our giving truly address their needs and not just because we want to give this or that. Finally, may we be able to give what Peter and John gave to the crippled man saying, “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have, I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.” (Acts 3:6)
Amen.
Fr. Edgar Benedi-An, OSM
|
|
Remembering a year ago:
Bringing The Grotto to You
One year ago, in response to the growing pandemic, we began a series of daily emails called "A Place of Sanctuary: Bringing The Grotto to You." We closed completely a short time later, and that closure lasted for months.
The "Bringing The Grotto to You" series highlighted a feature at (or about) The Grotto each day. The series lasted for 88 days, the length of our closure.
We hope you enjoy this feature, "Looking Back", where we will share a piece of those emails every day for 88 days. Click the link below to view today's feature, which was originally shared this time last year.
|
|
Click on the video and take a moment to relax and experience the serenity of the sanctuary.
Today, gaze up at the majestic trees of The Grotto. And this is just the parking lot.
|
|
Join Fr. Vidal Martinez, OSM, Rector of The Grotto, for a daily stroll through the garden.
Each day, enjoy photos and videos taken by Father Vidal, often during hours when the grounds are closed.
Today, the sun shines through the trees while the Rose Garden waits to bloom.
|
|
Plaza Office Hours
Monday - Saturday (Not available Thursday)
10 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
3 p.m. - 5 p.m.
A Friar will be in the office attached to the Visitor Center during the above hours.
They gladly await your request for confession, spiritual guidance and blessing of articles. You may also set up an appointment for a blessing with the relic of St. Peregrine. Masks and social distancing are required.
You are also welcome to contact a Friar directly at the emails listed below.
|
|
Fr. Vidal Martinez, OSM
Rector of The Grotto
|
|
|
Gift Shop Hours: 9 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
The Grotto Gift Shop carries a great collection of items for Confirmation, First Holy Communion, and the season of spring.
CURBSIDE PICK-UP AVAILABLE: call 503-261-2424
|
|
Upcoming Blood Drives
Friday, April 23
10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
The Grotto Conference Center
Wednesday, May 19
10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
The Grotto Conference Center
|
|
|
|
If you are unable to visit in person, you may purchase a candle to be lighted at The Grotto. Your candle will burn for seven days in the outdoor cradles.
Your support will allow our sanctuary to continue its mission of being a place of peace, prayer and natural beauty for all.
|
|
Mass Enrollment Cards
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
