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On
March 27, 1916, Mr. Henry Moeller, originally from Switzerland,
began work on The Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. The stone work
was completed in May, just twenty-five years after the arrival
of the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, the gift of Mrs. C. Ehret
of Buffalo, NY. This statue was blessed on May 8, 1891 by Father
Benedict Roth, OSB. On September 13, 1916, the grotto to Our Lady
of Lourdes was completed.
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Abbot Charles Mohr, OSB built this shrine on the Branch and Wichers
Forty' in gratitude to Our Lady, who through Her intercession,
he believed, obtained for him a swift answer to his prayers, when
the forty acres of land south of the Abbey were under litigation.
On December 8, 1916, Father Augustine Feller, OSB offered the
first Mass on the altar in the grotto. It is reported that 'the
whole village of San Antonio, Florida made the first pilgrimage
on foot-men, women, young and old, and the little Children."
The annual custom of making this pilgrimage lasted for many decades.
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On
the pillars leading to its entrance are the fourteen Stations
of the Cross, and on copper pages before the wrought iron grill
are engraved the following indulgences granted in 1925 by Pope
Pius Xl:
"All
visitors to the Shrine of Saint Leo may gain these indulgences:
a partial indulgence of 300 days for every visit: a plenary indulgence
on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception or any day within the
octave of the Feast of December 8th to December 15th. For the
gaining of the plenary indulgence, on the Feast of the Inmaculate
Conception or any day within the octave of the Feast of December
8th to December 15th. For the gaining of the plenary indulgence,
confession and communion are required." Pope Pius IX, 10
February 1925.
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Incased
in the floor of this shrine is the tomb of the First Abbot of
Saint Leo Abbey, Rt. Reverend Charles H. Mohr, OSB. He personally
requested to be buried at the shrine. Abbot Charles held the Office
of Abbot from 1902 until 1929. He died April 3, 1931.
Across
from this shrine is another shrine depicting the Agony in the
Garden of Gethsemane. Both shrines are constructed of native Florida
rock of fossilized coral found on "The Gaskin Place. The
Gethsemane Shrine was completed in 1940.
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In
February of 1965, a sculpture of the Risen Christ was placed at
the entrance to the Lourdes Shrine in the Abbey Grotto. The internationally
known sculptor, Albin Polasek of Winter Park, Florida, made the
seven foot statue after he became paralyzed. The original was
presented to Saint Leo Abbey as a memorial to the Saint Leo Preparatory
School Boys who were killed In the Second World War and the Korean
Conflict. A bronze plaque memorializes their names at the base
of the statue.
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The
Abbey Grotto has an 85 year history with the Church of Florida
and the Town of San Antonio as a prayer and meditation area. It
is still visited by many pilgrims on a year round basis from all
of the Americas.
The renewal of Interest In Marian devotions, Benedictine spirituality
and other Catholic devotions, such as the Stations of the Cross,
make the Grotto a place where such devotions can be practiced.
Each year, several thousand visitors journey to Saint Leo Abbey
and the Abbey Grotto is one of the primary reasons they choose
to visit the Abbey.
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For more details
on the history of Saint Leo Abbey see:
Pioneer
College: The Centenial History of Saint Leo College,
Saint Leo Abbey, and
Holy Name Priory
By:James J. Horgan
Format: Hardcover, 648pp.
ISBN:0945759010
Publisher: Saint Leo College Press
Pub. Date: February 1990
Edition Desc: 1st ed
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