Holy Family Prayer Grotto Enhances Identity Of Reitz Memorial High School
The Holy Family now welcomes visitors to Reitz Memorial High School in Evansville.
On March 18, Bishop Charles C. Thompson blessed the new Holy Family Prayer Grotto, found on the west side of the school in front of Holy Cross Hall. The project, intended to help Memorial proclaim its Catholic identity, became reality through the support of an anonymous donor. The grotto is just one element of a $6 million project to improve and expand the Memorial campus. The project also includes construction of a soccer stadium, parking lot and a circular plaza.
“No family is perfect,” Bishop Thompson said during the ceremony. “They come in all shapes and sizes, and yet each and every family is called to be holy – not because of the merits of the person in that family, but by the grace of God that dwells among us.”
Memorial High School President Brother Lawrence Murphy welcomed students and a nice crowd of supporters who braved a chilly morning to be part of the service. He noted that the prayer grotto serves as a tribute to the entire Memorial family, which continues to grow as the school approaches its 90th birthday. “It’s a symbol of our unity and care for each other,” he said.
“There’s always a home for us at Memorial,” he said, “and in the diocese and in our parishes. But most especially, the Holy Family reminds us of the ultimate home for us – the kingdom of Heaven.”
After an opening song and a Gospel reading by school chaplain Father Alex Zenthoefer, Bishop Thompson spoke briefly. Following prayers of the faithful, the bishop blessed and censed the entire prayer grotto and everyone in attendance.
Design and construction of the grotto have taken more than two years, and final touches will be added soon with additional landscaping. Memorial High School alumna Catherine (Behrens) Lamey (1972), an attorney, generated the first steps toward the grotto in late 2011 during a casual conversation with a client.
As Lamey described ongoing efforts to enhance Memorial’s Catholic identity, the client and his wife offered to buy a statue of the Blessed Mother for placement outside the school – as long as they remained totally anonymous. St. Joseph is Memorial’s patron, and the Holy Family status provides the perfect way to honor him and the donor’s special devotion to Mary.
“I think everyone agreed that they wanted to make it obvious from the outside that it was a Catholic school, and that was the purpose,” Lamey told reporter Megan Erbacher of the Evansville Courier & Press. “And what better way to do that than with a tribute to the Holy Family.”
Lamey worked with the donor and Memorial graduates Lauren Fuchs (2011) and John Winiger (1978), who provided design and architectural work, respectively. Gary DeWeese of DeWeese Construction served as general contractor on the project.
Plans initially called for the prayer grotto to be built in front of Memorial High School. However, Father Bernie Etienne, pastor of Holy Rosary Parish and diocesan Vicar General, suggested the grotto be built on the west lawn in front of Holy Cross Hall in order to provide a quieter, more prayerful setting away from the traffic on nearby Lincoln Avenue.
