Our Lady of Lourdes of Sault Ste. Marie

Marian vocation of Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario)
Popular devotion (not officially recognized by the Church)

Mount St. Joseph campus, Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario), formerly linked to the Sisters of St. John's. Joseph, there is a grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, built in the style of the cave of Massabielle. It does not record the exact date of its construction; Mount St. Joseph developed as a Catholic institution from the end of the 19th century, and according to local sources the grotto seems to correspond to the first third of the 20th century.

Main data

Origin and history

Mount St. Joseph campus, Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario), formerly linked to the Sisters of St. John's. Joseph, there is a grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, built in the style of the cave of Massabielle. It does not record the exact date of its construction; Mount St. Joseph developed as a Catholic institution from the end of the 19th century, and according to local sources the grotto seems to correspond to the first third of the 20th century.

The image and the sanctuary

The grotto reproduces, in the style of Lourdes, the cave of Massabielle, with the image of the Virgin. It is integrated into an educational and religious context, and has been used by religious, students and pilgrims as a place of retreat and prayer. It has also had a certain character of local pilgrimage. The details of the other artistic elements in the public documentation are not recorded.

Sponsorship and coronation

The grotto is dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, in an enclosure linked to the Sisters of St. Joseph. There is no canonical coronation of the image or a specifically documented civil patronage.

Party and devotion

The place has been the scene of Marian vigil, outdoor rosaries and celebrations of the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes on February 11. According to the testimonies, groups of young and religious people prayed there on a regular basis.

Link to the Rosary

The bond with the Rosary is strong, as it corresponds to Lourdesin devotion, for in Massabielle the Virgin showed herself with a rosary in her hands and taught Bernadette to pray. In this grotto, the testimonies point out that groups of young and religious people regularly prayed the Rosary, and the place hosted rosaries in the open air and Marian vigil, so that the prayer of the Rosary was an ordinary part of the cult of the Virgin of Lourdes.