MSJ Big Blog Post #1

As I mentioned in class, I’m studying Mount Saint John - a property bought by the Marianists in 1911 that has historical significance for both the Marianists and Dayton. For several years it was the center for the Cincinnati Province of the Marianists, and over a long time period had a Novitiate, a Scholasticate, a working farm, at least three chapels at one time, and a Grotto designed in replica of the one at Lourdes.

In narrowing my focus, I’ve decided to search for three basic issues:

1. The circumstances around the building of the Lourdes Grotto

2. Pictures/records of the old chapel at the mount

3. Any records or information about Marianists going to the movies in the 1920s and 30s

I’ve found a bit of information about these. I haven’t decided which to focus on first.

Starting with the last, #3. I’ve heard that there was something called “the Great Walk,” in which the Marianist brothers from MSJ would walk to go to the movies downtown. I don’t know much more other than this, but I should have more soon.

In asking about this, I met with Hugh Bihl, a Brother and former educator who went to the Scholasticate at MSJ in ’51 and ’52 and taught at C-J in the 50s and 60s. Mr. Bihl told me that the superior at MSJ in ’51 and ’52, Fr. William Ferree, encouraged the students to go to the movies and in general be responsible for themselves. Mr. Bihl says this was a strong contrast to the attitude towards movies at the Novitiate and said that Fr. Ferree was seen as innovative. When he taught at C-J, Mr. Bihl said that he and the brothers used to take a bus over to UD to watch movies. He seems to suggest that they watched them in what is now Chaminade Hall - or where Chaminade Hall is now, at least. I should have more on this soon.

I have the least amount of information on #2. I think that the oldest chapel built at the mount, St. Anne’s, is still intact in what is currently the Novitiate. There was a chapel in the Administration building called “Lady of Good Counsel” that was redecorated by a Professor Gonippo Raggi in 1928, in a look that apparently drew crowds and was labeled as “classic” (this is from issues of the Marianist periodical Apostle of Mary at the time). The administration building and the chapel were torn down in the ‘80s, In the late ‘60s, they built the Queen of the Apostles Chapel, which is the main chapel for MSJ today. But Mr. Bihl told me that some of the older brothers “in the back of the house” as he described them still used it.

The Grotto is a goldmine for thinking through issues in this course. I will devote a longer blog post to the Grotto itself soon, but for now: the Grotto was built from 1928-1929, with statues made by a company called the Daprato Statuary Company of Chicago. Five Italian artists worked on the statue and lived in the Novitiate in May of 1929, and apparently couldn’t speak any English. The rock that makes up the surrounding Grotto came from Toledo and was delivered on a spur of the railroad that ran into the property.

Here’s some pictures:

 Mary and Bernadette, in the Grotto. These were done by the Daprato Statuary Company.

And old picture and how it looks today. I'm not sure where that altar went.

A statue of Joseph donated from 1924, four years before they start working on the Grotto. Made in Italy.

Shots from inside and behind the Grotto. This whole thing in the last picture is, I'm assuming, where they go to work on the fountain piping. The stone in the Grotto is mixed with electrical wiring, water pipes, and so on. Interesting mix of a kind of natural authenticity/reproduced authenticity mixed with practical needs for lighting and (well, less practical) for fountains and pools. Floodlights were installed when the Grotto was originally dedicated, I believe.

Time for historical pictures!

I think most of the pictures of the procession were from a Deanery Pilgrimage in 1954. Interesting to think that these folks from Dayton (presumably Dayton) would come to MSJ in big numbers like this and see the Grotto as a pilgrimage site. Note the Knights of Columbus with the swords (and apologies for the glare). Finally there's a mention of the Daprato Company, but I don't think I could find the corresponding picture. They played bacci ball.

Finally, I took pictures of the first references to the Grotto from Apostle of Mary, the old Marianist periodical which was published in Dayton. There are more articles on the Grotto which I will upload soon.