Holy Trinity Convent and Grotto.  Learn more about the history of the convent and religious sisters.

In 1998, the convent was destroyed but the grotto remained standing. However, it sat empty and had few visitors. In the fall of 2006 the Knights of Columbus set an additional Ten Commandments monument near the grotto, identical to the one placed south of the Church earlier that summer as part of Project Moses. The Blessed Virgin statue was also taken out of storage and reinstalled in the Grotto. After the monument was set, Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss blessed the area. Fr. John Pietramale was Pastor at the time.

In the spring of 2007, the Knights continued with their project and added a Rosary Garden, complete with benches and landscaping. The Knights’ hope was this would become a peaceful place where people would gather to pray and reflect.

There were no records of the original designer and builder of the grotto; however it sits in its original location and only minimal repairs were necessary during the restoration. The center of the Rosary Garden is landscaped with rock and decorative bushes. Back when the sisters lived at the convent, this was a lily pond accommodating a small school of gold fish. The current landscaping models the shape of the once existing pond.

Five benches were donated by member Knights and families at $1200 each. These benches represent the five mysteries of the Rosary. Four plaques were placed on each bench representing the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary. The cost of these plaques were $200 each and were donated by member Knights, along with $800 in concrete and approximately $600 in electrical work. The work was completed with all volunteer labor. Numerous dedicated Knights gave of their time and their God given talents to complete this project.

Since this project has been completed, in May and October, the months dedicated to Our Lady, Msgr. Cyril Werner invites all Parishioners to join him to pray the daily rosary at 6:00 p.m.

The Grotto, Rosary Garden, and Ten Commandments Monument project has recently been nominated to receive an award by the Knights of Columbus at the state level. This award will be announced at the end of this year, 2011.

Project Moses - Ten Commandments Monuments

Founded in 2001, Project Moses is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to re-establishing respect for the Ten Commandments. The goal of the group was to promote a return to the absolute standards of right and wrong. The Leaders on this movement felt that Project Moses could help lead people to live lives of virtue, responsibility and faith through adherence to God’s ancient precepts. This is a nationwide project that is dedicated to the restoration of repost in the Ten Commandments. The organization designed and made the monuments that were to become the symbol of our freedom to worship. In 2006, Holy Trinity and St. Michael’s Parishes were approached by Joe Worthing, Executive Director of Project Moses to purchase and display a Ten Commandments Monument at each of our Parish sites. Fr. John Pietramale, the Pastor of the Parishes in 2006, along with the Knights of Columbus, decided to be a part of this project that proudly displayed God’s Name and His laws where the public could view, and even be drawn too.

In 2007, three Ten Commandments monuments were purchased for approximately $3600 each. The monument itself displays the Ten Commandments on one side and the Eight Beatitudes on the reverse. One was placed at the front of Holy Trinity Church, the second, near the restored convent grotto, and the third was placed at St. Michael’s Church in Coleridge. Benches and lighting were placed around the monuments so passers-by could stop and reflect.