Your Sanctuary of Peace: Day 22

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 a.m. 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: Celebrating God's Creation on Earth Day

Earth Day 2024

Today, April 22, is celebrated worldwide as Earth Day. It is a day of appreciation for all of God's creation, and a day to promote stewardship of the environment.

Nine years ago, Pope Francis' wrote the encyclical letter Laudato Si' on care for our common home. In today's email, we are inspired by the words of The Holy Father, and celebrate the presence of God in nature at The Grotto.

Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common Home

This encyclical letter from Pope Francis is addressed to "every person living on this planet" for an inclusive dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. Pope Francis calls the Church and the world to acknowledge the urgency of our environmental challenges and to join him in embarking on a new path.

This encyclical is written with both hope and resolve, looking to our common future with candor and humility.

To read the entire Laudato Si' , please click here .

Praise be to you, my Lord

The title of Pope Francis' encyclical letter is taken from the first line of the encyclical, "Laudato si', mi Signore," or "Praise be to you, my Lord."

In the words of this beautiful canticle from Saint Francis of Assisi, he reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life, and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.

Canticle of the Sun

Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, who is the day and through whom you give us light. And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor; and bears a likeness of you, Most High.

Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars, in heaven you formed them clear and precious and beautiful.

Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Wind, and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather through whom you give sustenance to your creatures.

Praised be you, my Lord, through Sister Water, who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.

Praised be you, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom you light the night, and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

St. Francis of Assisi

St. Francis of Assisi is revered by Christians everywhere. He was known as a person of peace and a lover of nature. In the simplicity of his life, he saw the hand of God in all creation.

This beautiful statue of St. Francis, seen above, is located in The Grotto Upper Gardens.

Prayer to Care for God's Creation

God of all creation,

How splendid and majestic is the world you created! It reveals your glory; it teaches us about you.

When you made us in your image, you gave us this command: care for the world and for all the creatures in it, for this is our common home.

Yet your holy creation cries out, for our home is “burdened and laid waste,” scorched and scarred. Come among us that we might remember our interdependence. Let us see the face of your Son in those who suffer from the destruction of our common home.

Help us to be stewards who honor you in the world you have made for the good of all creation and for future generations.

May your justice reign forever.

Amen.

World Day of Peace Message

"Christians, in particular, realize that their responsibility within creation and their duty towards nature and the Creator are an essential part of their faith.

Respect for life and for the dignity of the human person extends also to the rest of creation, which is called to join man in praising God."

Saint John Paul II (1990 World Day of Peace, Message 15-16)

The Pollinator Garden at The Grotto

In 2016, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partnered with The Grotto and the Pacific Northwest College of Art to engage the public on the importance of pollinators, including the monarch butterfly.

Work began to build a butterfly habitat in the Upper Gardens outside the Meditation Chapel, in order to create a suitable and protected environment for caterpillars and butterflies to thrive.

We are delighted every time we spot a butterfly in the gardens.

A Place of Sanctuary

The Grotto is a 62-acre sanctuary in the middle of the city. The buildings and beautiful gardens are nestled in a thick forest, which is a large habitat for wildlife. More than 1000 species of plants grow at The Grotto.

Please enjoy these photos, all taken at The Grotto, celebrating God's Creation.

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

Tomorrow: The Peace Pole

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