Going the extra mile to St. Michael's
| St. Michael's Church near the Manresa retreat house features a towering exterior facade, an elaborately painted and beautifully appointed interior, and a touching 1876 recreation of the grotto at Lourdes where Our Blessed Mother appeared to Bernadette. | |||
Church and Grotto are popular destination
There is one attraction for those attending a Manresa retreat which takes a little more effort than one might bargain for. Approximately 2 to 4 miles upriver from the Manresa campus (depending on who's estimating), a number of retreatants walk the levee to the historic St. Michael the Archangel's church.
The cornerstone for the church was laid in 1831 and later dedicated in 1833. The steeple added in 1875 was destroyed by Hurricane Betsy in 1965 and never restored. The church is very ornate - a blend of Ionic and Romanesque styles. The main altar was imported from France in 1868. The church has many antiques: the huge 1873 Redemptorist Mission Crucifix, the 1857 pipe organ, the large art glass windows from Munich, Germany, the wood-framed oil paintings of the Stations of the Cross, and the three larger oil paintings: St. Michael slaying the devil is over the main altar and the Holy Family and the Ascension of Mary paintings are in the foyer of the church. Hidden behind the main altar is a pleasant surprise attraction that draws many visitors - the Grotto. The grotto displays the Blessed Mother high above the floor in a cove guilt of bagasse clinkers * that resemble gray colored stone and rock. Kneeling below to the left is the young visionary, Bernadette Soubirous. The altar is usually covered with large bright candles and smaller votive candles representing the special intentions of those who prayed there earlier. The grotto was dedicated in 1876 and believed to be the first of its kind in the United States. The parish, founded in 1812, was the first Marist Foundation in the United States. The cemetery dates back to 1827. It's worth a trip, whether by foot on retreat or on a casual weekend ride. The church is unlocked during the day for tourists. The Men of Manresa are presently considering a one-day trip by bus, possibly during the Christmas season when it's not so hot and the life-size Nativity scene is set up. The trip would be for member couples and/or guests and would include lunch at a nearby restaurant, a visit to St. Michael's Church and Grotto and a tour of the Manresa grounds and buildings. More details on their trip will be published in "The Lamb." * Clinker - a hard mass of fused matter (Bagasse - the refuse of sugar cane after the juice has been taken out) 