'A place of consultation and spiritual refreshment'

By Tom Tracy - Florida Catholic

Photography: TOM TRACY | FC

POMPANO BEACH | After years of evening eucharistic adoration, a small group of San Isidro parishioners felt compelled to create a traditional grotto to the Blessed Virgin. But over the years the elements took their toll on both the grotto and the statue. 

“The image was in very bad condition for a long time,” said Orlando Reyes, who along with his wife were among the original volunteers, members of the parish evangelization committee, to call for the original grotto and to undertake refurbishment of the area despite the global pandemic. 

“Myself and two other men constructed much of the grotto, and three more people were helpful while another friend with a construction company helped instruct us in how to make it,” Reyes said of the grotto’s origins. 

Now Reyes is particularly pleased with the way the grotto and surrounding garden area have been revitalized and the statue restored. “We are very happy and feeling good about the complete restoration, about the colors in her face and everything,” he said. 

On Dec. 8, 2020, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, volunteers and the community of San Isidro gathered for Mass followed by the inauguration of the renewed grotto and enthronement of the refurbished statue. 

The refurbishment was made possible by the support of all the parishioners, who were particularly eager this year to have an outdoor place to gather for private prayer given the COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing guidelines, according to Father Wilfredo Contreras, San Isidro’s pastor. 

He presided at the Mass, recitation of the rosary and procession to the new grotto. Members of the Knights of Columbus assisted in the “enthronement,” or installation of the statue.

“When I took over the (parish) assignment here, I noticed over the years how people pray in the grotto area often, from homeless people to parishioners all day long, but it looked like it needed a little love,” Father Contreras said. 

The refurbishment project was finished just recently, with the final addition of three custom stained glass windows that were crafted in Mexico following production delays related to the pandemic. 

The windows depict St. Michael the archangel, the Holy Spirit and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The original statue was refurbished by a company in the Miami area. 

“When we were without her for months, people were upset and asking: Where is she?” Father Contreras said. “It is a place of consultation and spiritual refreshment, a place to bring all our problems. 

“Everyday life has its problems and issues, and people go to pray for relief, and when sometimes the chapel is closed,” he added. “We find relief and spiritual support by going to the grotto with three nice benches and praying.”