St. John the Baptist Parish dedicates prayer grotto
DRAPER — Sept. 9 was a day for the children of St. John the Baptist Parish as Bishop John C. Wester of the Diocese of Salt Lake City blessed and dedicated a prayer grotto on the East lawn of the church. The grotto, designed in the circular shape of a rosary with etched stones representing each prayer, features five bronze statues – Jesus sitting on a bench teaching four children. The children represent ethnic diversity, different abilities, and various ages. The theme of the grotto is: "Let the children come to me," from the Gospel of St. Matthew. After a late morning Mass concelebrated by Bishop Wester, Diocesan Vicar General Msgr. J. Terrence Fitzgerald, Father Terence M. Moore, pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish, and Oblate Father James McHugh, the congregation surrounded the grotto as a children’s choir sang. Bishop Wester blessed the grotto, its statues and stones, as well as the congregation. Then, children of the parish processed into the grotto with fresh flowers to be placed in vases around the statues. "Fr. Moore and I saw these statues in Chicago, and we knew they were just what we wanted for the grotto," Jim Pecora said in an interview with the Intermountain Catholic. Pecora was one of six parishioners who served on the Prayer Grotto Committee led by Ken Kelter. The grotto serves as an expression of the love the parish has for its children, its dedication to Mary the Mother of Jesus, and by having parishioners and donors etch their names on the grotto stones, the project also helped the parish building fund, Pecora said. "Jesus asked the people to carry the cross and follow him," said Bishop Wester. "His words, his language was difficult to hear... The bishop said all of us, "are called to make God the center of our lives. He is not to be outdone in generosity; he gives us back over and above what we have given." We cannot love God and not love our neighbors, Bishop Wester said. "All of our relationships change and become more profound when we allow Jesus to transform our relationships." The new parish prayer grotto, dedicated to the children of the parish, will be a place for people to pray and perceive the wisdom and grace of God, Bishop Wester said, a place of harmony and peace, where children can learn to make the rosary an important part of their prayer life and where adults can renew their devotion to the rosary. "The mysteries of the rosary are the mysteries of Christ," he said. "It is a life long process – letting go and letting God take over." Bishop Wester told the story of a religious sister who was dying of Alzheimer’s disease. As death neared, she came to a deeper understanding of her disease and her relationship with God. "People still acknowledge me," she said. "Little by little, one by one, God is taking everything away from me until all I have left is God." "In the end," the bishop said, "all there is is God." Fr. Moore thanked the members of the Prayer Grotto Committee, those who were responsible for the installation, the engraving of the stones, the landscaping, and the engineering. "The project is doubly meaningful because the rosary is widely recognized by people of all faiths," Fr. Moore said. As the blessing and dedication of the grotto ceremony closed, one last stone was uncovered. On it were engraved the date of the dedication and Bishop Wester’s name. "I’m very moved by this gesture," Bishop Wester said. "The grotto is beautiful. It speaks of the faith of this parish and your love for your children." A light lunch was served after the grotto dedication during which children could be seen walking around the stones pointing out the mysteries of the rosary. Families also sought out the stones on which their names and their children’s names were engraved.
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