A forested path winds past the Stations of the Cross. Other trails lead past shrines and into a 5-story-tall chapel.

At the center of the complex is a grotto, carved into the base of a 150-foot basalt cliff that separates the lower from the upper level and its monastery, convent, gardens, more shrines, meditation chapel with a vista of the city and a small rustic chapel.

Over and through it all there is the lush, green profusion of a Pacific Northwest forest. The shade is dense beneath the towering fir trees; there is a cool stillness, even in the heat of a summer day.

You're at the National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother, a 62-acre refuge in the middle of Portland, Ore. — a perfect place to “treasure the things of God in your heart” on Marian feast days such as Aug. 15, the feast of Mary's Assumption into heaven.

This still and beautiful place of prayer is a testament to the work of the Servite friars, who conceived and have faithfully added to the sanctuary for 78 years.

“We intend this to be a treasure,” says Servite Father Jack Topper, executive director of this site known simply as “the grotto” to locals and regulars. More than 150,000 people visit each year.

“We look to the needs of the people who come here,” Father Topper adds. “As Servites, we've always looked to Our Sorrowful Mother because she understands what real suffering is about. The grotto is about creating a space for you to reflect and pray, to leave more at peace for having been here.”

Servite Spirituality

The site certainly accomplishes that. Located on land purchased from the Union Pacific Railroad in 1923, through the efforts of Servite Friar Ambrose Mayer of the Order of Service to Mary, the grotto has been carefully crafted over the decades to foster rich and reverent spirituality amid nature's scenic splendor.

The spiritual heart of the site is the grotto shrine itself. Created in 1925, it encompasses the chancel and sanctuary of an outdoor chapel, surrounding a high stone altar carved from the rock of the cliff and a reredos of stones; this is topped with lighted seraphim and occupied by a white marble replica of Michel-angelo's masterpiece, the Pieta.

Above the grotto, at the pinnacle of the bluff, is a bronze statue of Our Sorrowful Mother, designed for the sanctuary and blessed by Pope Pius XI in 1934 to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the Servite Order.

On the other side of a stone altar rail, also made from the rock of the cliff, is the shrine of St. Peregrine, a 13th-century Servite friar and patron saint of those suffering from cancer or other incurable diseases. A St. Peregrine Mass and anointing of the sick are celebrated at noon on the first Saturday of each month.

Beyond the altar rail is an open space under the vault of 200-foot evergreen trees. This serves as the nave for weekly outdoor Mass during the summer months and as a plaza for the Chapel of Mary, Mother of the Human Race.

Dedicated May 24, 1955, the interior of the granite and stone chapel is adorned with white and black marble along with light sandstone behind tall bronze doors. A marble high altar rests beneath a bronze canopy and mural of Blessed Mother's Coronation in heaven painted by Spanish artist Jose DeSoto.

On the north side of the plaza is a religious art gallery and conference center; to the east is the Christus Garden with its forested Stations of the Cross trail and the sanctuary's visitor center, restaurant and gift shop. To the south, between the chapel and grotto, is an elevator to the upper level.

On the upper level are more paths and gardens, including a lovely rose garden in front of the Servite monastery and convent, and St. Joseph's Grove alongside the rustic St. Anne's Chapel, built in 1935. Shrines are built along the paths for the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Jude Thaddeus. The Lithuanian Wayside Shrine is dedicated to that nation's Catholic martyrs.

The centerpiece of the upper level is the Marguerite M. Casey Peace Garden. A path winds through landscaped forests and meadows, interlaced with ponds and streams. Marking the path are bronze plaques commemorating the Joyful, Glorious and Sorrowful Mysteries. The path leads out to the Way of Our Sorrowful Mother, a forested trail back to the plaza and elevator.

East of the plaza is the Marilyn Moyer Meditation Chapel, a contemporary glass and granite sanctuary offering a panoramic view of the Columbia River and the snow-covered peaks of Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens.

The grotto's ministries include clinical and pastoral counseling programs as well as a retreat house and spiritual conference programs. But it's as a place of simple peace and prayer — with a distinctly Marian, contemplative flavor — that this place really shines: a sort of natural reflection of the Blessed Mother herself.

Philip S. Moore writes from Camas, Washington.