Faithful gather for Mass at the grotto of Assumption Grotto Parish for the Feast of the Assumption on Aug. 15, 2012. The grotto, as it stands today, was dedicated in 1881 and renovated and rededicated in 2002.This is the third in an occasional series of articles on the “Treasures of the Archdiocese.” For the purpose of this series, treasures can be buildings, metal ware, vestments or any other church-related item that has aesthetic, historic or personal value.
Detroit — Nestled in the rear of a nearly 200-year-old cemetery along one of Detroit’s signature thoroughfares in one of the city’s distressed neighborhoods is a shrine dating back to 1881 that draws an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 pilgrims annually — the grotto at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Grotto) Parish on Gratiot Avenue.
Dedicated in 1881, the grotto was built by the parish’s first pastor, Fr. Amandus Vandendreissche, who was celebrating the silver anniversary of his ordination in his native Belgium when he learned of the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. He made a pilgrimage there before returning to Detroit and was inspired to commemorate the events at his parish.
“Filled with the graces received, he decided to build a replica of the Lourdes grotto and hired architect Peter Dederichs Jr. to design it,” related Fr. Eduard Perrone, Assumption Grotto’s current pastor, in an interview with The Michigan Catholic last year. “Dederichs is the earliest-known Michigan architect who specialized in the design of churches and institutional buildings.”
Standing tall at the end of a picturesque, quarter-mile paved path from the cemetery’s front gate, which is near the back of the church’s parking lot, the grotto is the most prominent feature of a burial ground that is the final resting place for many former Grotto pastors, other priests and historic civic leaders whose names grace street signs in the neighborhood.
Along the path are Stations of the Cross added by then-Msgr. Joseph Brietenbeck, the parish’s sixth pastor, in July of 1962. Msgr. Brietenbeck would go on to become bishop of the Diocese of Grand Rapids. Those stations replaced an 1883 set that consisted of paintings hung on trees around the grotto.
In front of the grotto is a bronze statue of St. Bernadette kneeling in prayer, sculpted by the noted Detroit artist Edward Chesney, who was a Grotto parishioner in his later years. He, too, is buried in the parish cemetery.
The grotto became so popular during the 1890s that the parish started being referred to simply as Assumption Grotto, a name that obviously stuck.
Built by parishioners with boulders and limestone collected from all over southeast Michigan, the grotto took five years to complete, from inception to dedication.
“Considering the immensity of the project and that these simple farmers did not have the construction equipment we enjoy today, it is a miracle of sorts that this edifice was constructed in such a short period of time,” Fr. Perrone said. “It was the sweat of their brow and their love for the Virgin that motivated them. We enjoy today in this parish the fruits of the labor, faith and love of our first pioneer families.”
Then-Detroit Bishop Caspar Borgess himself made a donation to help build the grotto, brought back details from Lourdes for the builders and obtained partial and plenary indulgences from Pope Leo XIII for those who visited.
Believed to be the oldest outdoor Marian shrine in Michigan, the grotto was renovated between 2000 and 2002 and re-dedicated on the Feast of the Assumption in 2002 by Cardinal Adam J. Maida. Each year, the Aug. 15 feast day alone brings between 4,000 and 7,000 to the grotto.
In addition to being a site for pilgrimage, the grotto also is utilized for worship frequently in the daily life of the parish.
“In the hot summer months, we have our morning 7:30 a.m. daily Masses outdoors at the grotto,” Fr. Perrone said. “We also have a Eucharistic procession from the church to the grotto where the people pray the rosary and receive benediction of the Blessed Sacrament after the noon Mass every Sunday, weather permitting.”
Three Masses (9:30 a.m., noon and 7 p.m.) on the Feast of the Assumption — a holy day of obligation — are offered at the grotto, weather permitting. A 6:30 a.m. Mass is offered in the church.
Tim Keenan is a freelance writer based in Farmington Hills.
Have a treasure?
If you, your parish or your organization is the keeper of a “Treasure of the Archdiocese,” and would like us to consider it for a profile, email [email protected] with “Treasures of the Archdiocese” in the subject line.
