No
matter what time of year, even when the campus is deserted, scores
of candles can be seen blazing in the Grotto.
It's no miracle, just the magic of mail-order and the devotion
of an 86-year-old Holy Cross brother.
When people write to the University asking that a candle be
lit at the Grotto for some special intention, Brother James Lakofka,
CSC, graciously fulfills the requests. They total roughly 10,500
annually, he says.
Lakofka has handled the candle-lighting requests since 1977.
"People who have an illness in the family or a son here at school
will write to me and ask to have the candles burning.
"It's rather popular. I think people like it because it
lets them feel as though they're . . . here in a sense."
Lakofka also manages distribution of water
from the original Grotto, in Lourdes, France. He receives a supply
from Lourders and repackages the water -- believed by some to
have healing powers -- into 1-ounce bottles that he ships all
over the country to people who request it.
The water comes from a spring at the Lourdes
Grotto, where Mary is said to have appeared to Saint Bernadette
in 1858. The bottles come with a set of prayers to be said when
using the water for healing or while suffering anxiety or pain.
There is also a novena to invoke the blessing of Our Lady of Lourdes.
(October 2004)
