Your Sanctuary of Peace: Day 11

Today's Hours of Operation

Grounds: 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Gift Shop: 9 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Recitation of the Rosary

11:30 a.m.

Chapel of Mary

Daily Mass

12 noon

Chapel of Mary

Priest Office Hours

10-11:45 and

3-5 p.m.

Office is located inside the Visitor Center

Your Sanctuary of Peace

As part of our Centennial celebration, we would like to share a piece of the sanctuary with you each day in April. We hope you will enjoy learning more about each feature, and find joy and peace by viewing the photographs.

Today: The Grotto Labyrinth

The History of Labyrinths

The labyrinth has been described as a path of prayer, a walking meditation, a crucible of change and a mirror of the soul. It is an ancient pattern found in many cultures and religious traditions around the world. As far back as 4000 years, labyrinth designs were found on the pottery, tablets and tiles of ancient civilizations.

During the Middle Ages, labyrinths symbolically represented a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and many labyrinths were constructed in the churches and cathedrals of Europe. The French still call the labyrinth walk “The Road to Jerusalem.”

The labyrinth is a winding, circular path, but it is not a maze. It has a defined entrance and a single path that winds into the center. The labyrinth walker proceeds at his or her own preferred pace toward the center. This is the destination, the place of meeting. After a prayerful time, the walker follows the same path outward, and the entrance to the labyrinth becomes the exit.

The Grotto Labyrinth

The Grotto Labyrinth was dedicated in the summer of 2010.

How to Walk the Labyrinth

Walking the labyrinth is a spiritual journey during which the walker or pilgrim is engaged in a centering experience as he or she takes each step on the path. In this way, mind, body and spirit are integrated, and the entire experience becomes one of being rather than doing. God alone is the focus of this journey, encountered at the center, within the heart of the seeker.

Three stages of the walk

There are generally three stages to the labyrinth walk:

The intention one brings to this time of prayer.
The meeting, or receiving at the center of the labyrinth.
Taking back into the world that which was received.

Suggestions for the walk

Quiet your mind and become aware of your breath. Allow yourself to find the pace your body wants to go.

Since the path is two-way, those going in will meet those coming out. You may “pass” people or let others step around you.

Do what feels natural. Walk the labyrinth with an open mind and an open heart.

The Footsteps of Many

The labyrinth receives the footsteps of many; each person bringing his or her own prayer.

It has been placed on holy ground and will absorb all the footsteps and prayers to come. In this way, it becomes a sacred place.

The Peace Garden Location

When visiting the labyrinth at The Grotto, one would think the trees had grown up around it. In truth, an area of brush was cleared in the middle of a grove of large firs at the edge of the Peace Garden, and the labyrinth constructed between the trees.

A Photographer's Delight

The labyrinth is a popular place for photos. The pattern of the bricks and the secluded location create some wonderful art.

A Unique Perspective

Special thanks to Providential Travels for sharing these 360 ° photographs.

A Wintery Scene

The Grotto Labyrinth is stunning in the snow.

We hope you are enjoying the series "Your Sanctuary of Peace".

Tomorrow: Mysteries of the Rosary

O Lord, make my path a holy one, a safe one, one both righteous and beautiful. May I meet many pilgrims on my my journey. I do not know where my path leads, but I know you are by my side guiding me.

Amen.

Gift Shop Hours: 9 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

The Grotto Gift Shop has a wide variety of items for Confirmation and First Holy Communion, along with an assortment of books, Rosaries, cards, medals, jewelry, home decor, yummy treats, and gifts.

Online Shop