About Our Lady of Grace Grotto in West Burlington, Iowa:
Construction on this shrine began in the spring of 1929 under Benedictine priests Father M.J. (or J.M.) Kaufman (who sketched the design) and Father Damian (Damien) Lavery (the designer). It was built entirely with volunteer labor by parishioners of what was then St. Mary’s Church during the Great Depression and dedicated on July 25, 1931.
Materials included donated rocks and stones from every U.S. state and several foreign countries, notably the Holy Land, along with hundreds of geodes (Iowa’s state rock). The structure is a band-shell-style concrete form embellished with rocks, quartz, and other materials. Inside, a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is flanked by two large seashells—one from the Atlantic Ocean and one from the Pacific Ocean.
The grotto fell into neglect in the 1950s–1960s and became overgrown. It was restored in the early 1970s under then-pastor Father Jack Denning and rededicated on August 15, 1974, by Bishop Gerald O’Keefe. Additional features include a pond with waterfall (reconstructed in 1999) and a pathway with the Stations of the Cross (added in 2002). Parishioners continue to maintain the gardens, flowers, and water features.
It functions as a peaceful garden of prayer with fountains, pools, and landscaped areas. Visitors from across the U.S. and abroad have come to appreciate its beauty and spiritual atmosphere. It is recognized in surveys of outdoor sculpture (including by the Smithsonian) and is part of Iowa’s tradition of elaborate Catholic grottoes, alongside the Grotto of the Redemption in West Bend and the Mother of Sorrows Grotto in Cedar Rapids.
Masses are sometimes celebrated at the grotto (e.g., special occasions such as the Feast of the Assumption).
Traveling to Our Lady of Grace Grotto in West Burlington, Iowa:
Address: 520 West Mount Pleasant Street, West Burlington, Iowa
Tel: +1 (319) 752.8771
email: westburlssmarypat@diodav.org
Visit the official website for Our Lady of Grace Grotto in West Burlington, Iowa
⇐ Back to Catholic shrines & places of interest in the U.S.A.