The Dominican Sisters~Grand Rapids, working with Instruments of Hope, is excited to announce that the Sister’s grotto on the front lawn of Marywood is now linked to the beautiful paths found in the St. Francis Sculpture Garden for Prayer and Meditation.
During the summer, Instruments of Hope with landscape architects and craftsmen redesigned the spatial configuration of the grotto setting, creating a more intentional and accessible setting for prayer and reflection.
The St. Francis experience is continuously changing with the seasons as well as with path extensions, contemplative messages, and new sculptures by Mic Carlson.
A new pathway connects the grotto to the St. Francis Sculpture Garden for Prayer and Meditation, making the grotto another prayer stop for visitors.
Mic Carlson’s latest sculpture, Canticle of the Creatures, marks the entrance to the link between the two spaces.
Preparing for Transitions
When the planned building sale of the Marywood Motherhouse was announced, Sr. Sandra Delgado said, “Marywood has long served as a welcoming place for community– housing ministries of gathering, worship, learning, meditation, art, respite and healing. We cannot predict at this point what all of our ministries will look like but we look forward to all the new ways they will continue.”
But we do know that we will remain good stewards of the land where we live.
Beautiful spaces, like the grotto, in our front yard will remain a welcoming sacred space for prayer and reflection.