Photo of Our Lady's Grotto

Here is a photo of Our Lady's Grotto, a little Marian shrine and park area built around a natural cave and spring (also known as Kenrick Cave) in Shrewsbury, Missouri, about eleven and half miles southwest of downtown Saint Louis, Missouri. It is located near Curé of Ars Church and the Cardinal Rigali Pastoral Center of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, formerly Kenrick Seminary. This little shrine is located on the north side of the entrance driveway to the church, with a path leading to the cave opening, and a stone-lined channel leading the spring water away. This shrine's location in the woods, in a hollow, with a spring that flows year-round, means that the temperature here is cool, even on hot Saint Louis August days. The grotto has a park bench and planted flowers.

The cave is large enough to crawl into, if you are willing to get wet from the flowing water that covers the floor of this spring. Many years ago I used a powerful flashlight, and peering into the darkness of the cave, saw the red reflection from the eyes of a small animal peering back at me. Another beautiful spring is located nearby in the southeast corner of Blackburn Park. The former Cardinal Glennon Seminary is nearby, it is now known as Kenrick-Glennon Seminary.

Springs have great spiritual significance, both in Scripture and in heathen religion, as a symbol of life and cleansing. The constancy and clarity of springwater is in contrast to aboveground waters, which are often unreliable, turbid, and foul.


Map of location

from Psalm 103 (104)

Qui emittis fontes in convallibus ut inter medios montes fluant
Ut bibant omnia animalia regionum et reficiat onager sitim suam
Super ea volucres caeli morabuntur de medio nemorum dabunt vocem

Thou sendest forth springs in the vales: between the midst of the hills the waters shall pass.
All the beasts of the field shall drink: the wild asses shall expect in their thirst.
Over them the birds of the air shall dwell: from the midst of the rocks they shall give forth their voices.

"Do not despise low places, thence flow springs," says Saint Augustine of Hippo, regarding the Apostolic Life.


The photo was taken on August 15, 2005, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady.