St. Mary Parish in Windthorst rededicates historic grotto
Veterans watch as Father Michael Moloney blesses the Our Mother of Perpetual Help Grotto outside St. Mary Church in Windthorst on November 23, 2025 during a rededication ceremony. (NTC/Juan Guajardo)
WINDTHORST — As the Catholic Church around the world celebrated the 100th Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, St. Mary Parish in Windthorst additionally celebrated both the church building’s 100th year and the 75th anniversary of its large grotto, dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
After Mass, Father Michael Moloney, OFS, and the congregation gathered outside the large grotto with the Scotland-Windthorst Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post, Knights of Columbus, and Legacy High School’s JROTC.
David Teichman, VFW quartermaster, read a brief history of the grotto’s rich legacy: Parishioner Charles Lindeman built a small Marian shrine to commemorate his late wife, Mary, dedicated only a few hours before news of the Pearl Harbor attack reached Windthorst. Sixty-four parishioners and the priest at the time enlisted in the war. The community of Windthorst dedicated their safety to Our Lady’s intercession. All men returned.
“As World War II raged on, vision for a larger shrine emerged,” Teichman told the crowd. “Throughout the war, these servicemen sent portions of their military pay home to fund the shrine’s construction.”
The large grotto, complete with its 1,600 lb. Italian statue of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, was dedicated August 1950 with all 64 servicemen present.
Tim Lindeman, grandson of Charles, read an account of the large grotto’s construction on behalf of his uncle Joe, who could not attend Sunday. Joe Lindeman warmly recalled the priest at the time, Father Pat, building the grotto with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, “the first time I’d ever seen a priest without his Roman collar on.”
Everyone contributed what they could, Lindeman recollected.
“Because we [as a family] had no money to offer for the construction of the grotto, we helped with the construction by gathering and hauling loads of rocks to the build site by horse-drawn wagon,” Lindeman read. “I feel sure other families hauled rocks also because there’s no way we could have hauled that many.”
In its 75 years, the grotto has only grown in importance to the community. It’s seen the addition of three pillars dedicated to fallen veteran relatives from combat in Japan, Korea, and Iraq. It’s also seen the construction of a short encircling wall topped with engraved bricks of veteran parishioners, dating from the first World War to the Vietnam War.
Most recently of all, however, the grotto itself was rebuilt from the foundation up. Fundraising began in March 2024, and the project was completed January 2025. While the church building is already dedicated, Fr. Moloney explained, the rebuilt grotto was rededicated that Sunday.
Barbara Hoff, its chief caretaker since her mother stepped down in 2010, spoke about the restoration.
“The walls were getting some really big stress fractures,” Hoff explained, noting that she approached Fr. Moloney in 2023 when her foot went through one of the levels. The construction included tearing down walls and rebuilding with the same rock, as well as restoring the star-shaped decorations on either side of the top exterior cross.
“Anytime I threw out a call for help, I never had anybody tell me that they couldn’t come up here to do this,” she said. Everyone from the community helped, she stated — from junior-high aged boys to the Knights of Columbus and the VFW, as well as her own grandsons, who regularly assist her work.
“It is actually my honor to get to do this,” Hoff said, whose work includes caring for the garden, candles, funds, and overall cleanup and maintenance. “The grotto to all of us is a place of comfort and peace.”
With the restorations complete, the grotto’s legacy is ensured to be shared across generations.
“I had a lady come up to me Sunday whose brother was killed in the Korean War,” she said. “Her whole family was there. It's a place where they can go and know he's been remembered. Gary Johnston, [who was killed in Iraq,] has a lot of classmates that still live in Windthorst, so it's very touching for those kids to come back there because his history is there. It's a very calming place for everybody. People just driving through town say, ‘Hey, we saw your church and we decided to stop.’”
Religious education classes now visit the shrine, Hoff said, allowing children to find grandparents’ names in the stones.
"I’ve had religion classes come down here, and those kids are so excited; they ask some of the best questions ever,” she said. “‘Here’s somebody with my same last name — how are they related to me? So we've talked, and the VFW, David Teichman, has talked to them about what it means, what’s their patriotism? So it's really cool to have our VFW be that involved with the kids in school and talk to them and tell them, ‘Hey, this is what life is about.’
“My grandkids think it's a cool place because they can climb all around,” Hoff laughed. “That’s my wish: for the young people to come down here. We need to keep this history alive for future generations. Tell your kids and grandkids the stories.”