Sam Vitale's grotto for the Virgin Mary
Whenever I went to church with my devout mother, her first act of faith was to put her hands together to pray in front of Blessed Mary standing in the church's front yard. Our Blessed Mary is so close to people who faithfully believe in Jesus.
Almost every Catholic church or sanctuary has a grotto for the Blessed Virgin Mary who, in various forms and grottos, is honored by thousands of people who ask her for intercessions to Jesus.
So, lots of pilgrims keep coming to Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, Our Lady of Lourdes in France, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico and so on. Inherited with the historical tradition of the apparition of Mary in various places, miniature forms of particular grottos are well represented in Catholic churches and pilgrimage destinations worldwide.
The little grottos for Mary created by faithful families are also well maintained. On May 26, our community was invited to join a May Crowning Celebration for Mary with one of our neighborhood families. Sam Vitale has arranged and prepared for the event for 33 years.
As an ordinary parishioner and a faithful devotee of Blessed Mary, Vitale invites his acquaintances to this event in May every year. This year, over 300 people gathered to participate in a special celebration in the backyard of his house. One big tent was able to cover everybody. I have never seen such a giant tent.
It was so touching and beautiful to see children from various families walking in two lines to offer the flowers in front of the grotto! One of his little granddaughters offered the crown made of roses for Blessed Mary and prayed for some moments.
Especially in a culture where single, nuclear or divorced families are increasing more and more, it is encouraging to see children playing and praying together with their parents. With the help of gathering together to pray in front of Mary’s grotto, faithful devotion to Mary will be naturally inherited by children.
A violinist and an accordion player also performed the hymns during the celebration. They even played the melodies of old popular songs during a meal.
On the day of celebration, it still rained in the morning but stopped from noon. When we returned to our community late afternoon, it began to rain again. How interesting and amazing it is to see the flexibility of changeable weather. God truly listens to our earnest prayers that go up to the sky like incense.
Despite enduring and struggling due to his health issue, Sam visits our little chapel in the bookshop to pray from time to time. As a friend to our community, he shares many things with us.
Many years ago, he created a Blessed Mother Grotto at his alma mater, Christian Brothers College High School, in appreciation for his teachers. He also made a meaningful grotto in our community's backyard in Saint Louis. Now, we pray the rosary together with voluntary visitors at 5:30 pm from Monday to Friday, especially in May and October every year.
“Let my prayer be incense before you; my uplifted hands an evening offering. Set a guard, Lord, before my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips," (Psalms 141:2-3).
The author is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul (Figlie di San Paolo), living the Good News and proclaiming it with various means of social communication.