Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes

The Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes is the largest shrine here at St. Bonaventure.  It is located south of Plassmann Hall in the direction of the athletic fields.  In 1924 the clerics of St. Bonaventure decided to drain a swamp which was located on campus, and turn it into a grotto.   With the help of the students at St. Bonaventure, they began collecting rocks from all over campus, and built the Grotto piece by piece. Inspiration for the shrine came from Rev. Walter Hammon, O.F.M, author of The First St. Bonaventure Men. Construction was completed by 1925.  

 Within the shrine is a statue of Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, which is still being taken care of by maintenance crews; but the shrine itself is no longer tended to as it once was.  The trees and bushes which surround the grotto are still growing strong, but the flowers and ornaments which at one point decorated the grotto no longer exist.

The grotto has always been used for outdoor ceremonies and masses, notably by the football teams before their games, and is still used today.  

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Warynicia, Louis. "Grotto of our Lady of Lords" Shrines : 15.
Kulakowski, Edmund A. "Shrines of St. Bonaventure." Vox Regis. March 1962: 8-9.